


Nos ad Horizon (Us at the Horizon)

by CookieMonstersRUs



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Baggage, Eventual Romance, F/M, Finding a new purpose, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Hope and Ryan are a team, Hope and Ryan escape Malivore together, Hope being elusive, Interalized issues, Kol Mikaelson totally killed Ryan Clarke once, Magical Bond, Magical Creatures, Malivore's children, Marriage of Convenience, Meet the Family, Mental Health Issues, Monsters, Multi, Mythology References, Non-Chronological, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, Redemption, Ryan and Lizzie are bros, Ryan is oblivious, Ryan's POV, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Spells & Enchantments, The Cost of Freedom, anyway, briefly, for Ryan, hahaha, hope mikaelson is a badass, i am not addressing the merge, ignores most of season two, it's worth the love, its gonna be hope, later on, magical objects, malivore is his own warning, mostly feelings of shame of self, ryan meets his brothers, someone please hug ryan, stuck in Malivore, the cost of sacrifice, the dog dies, there is a dog, whoops!, yes - Freeform, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 60,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25889476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieMonstersRUs/pseuds/CookieMonstersRUs
Summary: Ryan and Hope made a deal. If she helps him escape Malivore, she will never have to see him again. But deals were meant to be broken.Alternatively, Ryan tries to move on post-Malivore, but realizes there's still things left to be done. For one thing, he needs to destroy his father. For another, he can't stop thinking about Hope.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Ryan Clarke/Hope Mikaelson
Comments: 52
Kudos: 75





	1. Occursum In Tenebris (We Meet in Darkness)

**_Somewhere in Mystic Falls…_ **

When Hope emerged from Malivore, Ryan crawled out after her. Blood and mud clung to their skin, but Hope still shined in her glory. Ryan was less magnificent, gray skin and sunken eyes, a shadow of a man. He stood behind her, staring at the long line of her red hair, and wondered if he’d ever see her face again. He didn’t deserve to, and he made his vows in Malivore. He had no right to look upon her again.

But like Orpheus, Hope turned around to face him. “Clarke?” she asked, unsure of herself.

Ryan swallowed thickly and got to his feet. “I will keep my word,” he reassured her.

Something in her eyes flashed dangerously, as if she wanted him to stay, but that couldn’t be the case. Things didn’t change for them. 

“I will leave you be.”

“What if...” Hope looked down at her feet. He could feel her pity, taste her power cloying in the air. Bitterness raveled inside of him.

“C’mon, Hope,” Ryan grinned sadly, “we both knew how this would end. You’ve got Landon to go back to and I’ve got,” nothing, absolutely nothing waiting for him. Hope wouldn’t want to hear that. It would make this harder. “Go, Hope,” Ryan said again, “be free.” Before she could reply, he got as far away from Hope Mikaelson as he promised.

* * *

**_In the Dark…_ **

The darkness was revolting.

Ryan didn’t need to sleep often and when he did, he had either nightmares of the pit or fuzzy dreams of forest wanderings. In his nightmares, memories more like, he was shown his worst moments. His father rejecting him with his silence, the anger that chained Ryan to his cell, and the revulsion of having Ryan Clarke as his child echoed inside the lonely pit. Ryan has spent decades in the darkness to appeal to his father, to beg for his mercy, but he was met with nothing but the dull beat of his heart.

To be forced back into this nightmare by Hope Mikaelson of all people overwhelmed his despair with anger. He needed to get out of this monstrosity. His father must’ve known he was there and in doing so, would surely punish him as soon as he got his claws into Ryan’s chest. He needed to find a way out of this hellhole. 

When he saw her, he almost couldn’t believe it. The fury clung bitter to his teeth, but the sharp relief that flooded through him was just as powerful. Hope Mikaelson was here with a glowing orb of light in her hands. That wasn’t good. If she kept that kind of magic up for much longer, a swarm of monsters would come for them.

“Hello?” she called out into the darkness.

Ryan approached with a false easiness in his step. “Fancy meeting you here,” he greeted.

The Mikaelson girl whirled on him. “Whoa, what the hell are you doing here?” she demanded. What a feisty one. Didn’t surprise him. He’d done some research into the Mikaelson family over the years and their viciousness must’ve passed on to her. Before he could open his mouth, horror flashed across her face and she continued, “No. I'm supposed to be in-in peace. Okay, you are not peace. In fact, you're the opposite of peace. So, where are we?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Come on. Do the math.” And this was the girl that had bested him and almost bested his father. Pathetic.

“Okay, well, it’s completely dark and distant screaming and you're here. Oh, my God,” Hope paused, “we're in hell.”

“No such thing.” Ryan paused. There wasn’t a hell as far as he knew, because if there was one he should’ve ended up in there by now, or his father really. Still, one could never be sure. “I think. Go on. Take your best guess.”

“No.” She looked liked she was gearing to hex him again. Although unpleasant last time, was still amusing to watch her rile up.

“Why not?” he taunted, unable to resist.

“Because I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction of telling me that I failed.”

“You mean you don't want to hear you're in the Blackness? That you've been consumed by Malivore?” That they were in Ryan’s worst nightmare?

“No.” Were those tears in her eyes? How human of her.

“You don't want me to point out that all your romantic heroics were for nada? That the big bad lives to see another day and all your friends have forgotten you ever existed?” No one would care that Ryan was gone. And how could they? Ryan was worthless. 

“Stop talking.” Definite tears in her voice. “If I were you, I'd make peace with that.” She started walking away.

“Hope. Wait,” he hated the begging in his voice. “I can help you.”

“I don't see how.”

“I spent years inside this place, and while you cannon-balling into the belly of Malivore didn't seem to destroy him, it has changed things.”

She stopped. “Okay. I'm partially listening.” 

“Every creature consumed by my father used to exist in total isolation from one another,” well, meeting another monster meant your time was over. Total isolation was felt for the first decade or so one was stuck down here, “but here we are, talking to each other. Your presence here has opened the space. If it can do that, that means there’s a way for us to escape.” Ryan knew how to escape from Malivore, but getting there was next to impossible, but with a witch on his side... “So what do you say? Partners?”

She answered without hesitation, “Pass.”

Ryan had to resist the urge to strangle her. “You are such a child. No _wonder_ you failed.”

“Says the guy whose entire life has been about failing Daddy,” Hope mocked.

Ryan clenched his fists angrily at his side.

“I don't trust you, okay?” Hope continues. “And I never will. You're the one who brought me into this mess.”

He scoffed. “If you'd just let me meat-puppet my loser little brother, then we wouldn't even be in—”

“ _I_ _mitantor pupulis!_ ” she shouted and gestured with her hands. He suddenly felt a familiar zing of magic along his skin. As she slapped a hand over her mouth, Ryan couldn’t help but do the same. She smirked at him and lowered her hand, Ryan’s hand doing the same.

“Not again,” he sighed.

“Your old friend, the mimic spell,” she reminded him. “You will do anything I intend you to do, and it is my intention that this is the last conversation we will ever have.” 

_Fuck!_

“If I were you, I'd make peace with that,” she said smugly. Then she turned away from him. He couldn’t help but turn away as well.

“Hope, we can work this out!”

They started walking away from each other and further into the darkness.

“Don’t do this to me,” he begged. “Listen to me, whatever’s down here, it’ll come for you. Destroy you. Rip you apart!”

She didn’t answer.

He tried dragging his feet as he walked, but resistance weighed heavy on him. The darkness from before greeted him again. As they walked away from each other, he felt the thread of magic between them pull taut and unravel the further they got. She may have had control over him at first, but the distance made it hard to keep control over the other. But still, he couldn’t turn around to see her. The monsters would be coming for them soon, and when they did, it’d be over for the both of them.

* * *

**_The Road to Mystic Falls…_ **

Ryan stood at the edge of Mystic Falls. He could get a bus out of here or walk another thousand miles to get out of here. He could steal a car, he could hitchhike, he could run. He could do all sorts of things. When Ryan first came to Mystic Falls, he stashed a cash box somewhere in the town, a habit he’d picked up over the years on the run and working with Triad. Each town he saw himself returning to in the near future, he buried a box of cash, a fake ID, and a couple of knives. Expensive? Time consuming? Effective? Yes. Money wasn’t the issue, nor was his time as he was an immortal. Besides, he’d rather be potentially rare. This method made it so that Ryan could dig out a parcel of cash in various towns up and down the east and west coast. Back in 1834, Ryan had been on the run and managed to pick up a cash box in a line of five towns up and down the Mississippi. 

Using the cash from Mystic Falls, he could make his way to Richmond. From Richmond he could get a train or car to D.C., and later, a way to Baltimore. He had a few home bases across the country: Baltimore, Providence, Dayton, Santa Fe, Portland, and Mobile. He also had a home in Kentucky, closer to Triad Industries, but that would’ve been ransacked by now. He also had a few places to stay in Europe. As soon as he got to his Baltimore home, he could figure what contacts were burned and make his next move.

But that would mean leaving.

Ryan stood next to the Mystic Falls welcome sign, holding three thousand dollars in his sweaty hands, his shirt torn, and unable to move any further. Each time he tried to step over the line, he felt something in his gut pull taut. Hope’s spell. It couldn’t have lasted much longer now that they were free of Malivore, and yet he could still feel her magic, the tingle of warmth ghosting along his back. Her magic was familiar to him now.

He wanted to try and leave again, but decided he couldn’t. There was no point. Ryan already knew what he was going to do. Baltimore was nice and all, but Ryan had to lay some things to rest. There was still much for him to do in Mystic Falls. But he would keep his promise. He had to be a man of his word, at least once in his life.

* * *

**_Malivore…_ **

He was still walking in the darkness. A couple hundred yards and the spell would be broken, but that far away and he might never see her again. Ryan might be capable of finding his way through Malivore, but he’d never make it out. The Mikaelson girl would die before she made it through the dark void. There was much more to make of Malivore, but one could go crazy from it.

Her scream pierced through the darkness.

Monsters.

“Hope!” he yelled, still walking away. He could feel that he was no longer mirroring her, but still performing her tasks. “Hope!” He heard more shouting. He twisted his head around and saw her distantly surrounded by three monsters. Flashes of sunlight struck through the darkness as she struggled to fight the creatures. “Please break the spell!” he begged. He now stood frozen. She was busy trying to defend herself. “Let me help you!” he cried. “Hope!”

The spell unraveled between them.

Ryan twisted around and began running. If he could help her, maybe she’d trust him, maybe she’d help him, not for him but for her own survival. They could get out of this if they worked _together_.

“Clarke!” she screamed as a gigantic hairy creature swiped at her. The skin of two of the creatures was a muddy green, while the third being had molten purple skin. He recognized two of the creatures as cyclops as he got closer. The third one would have to be sorted out later.

Ryan wasn’t much of a runner when wearing his suit and dress shoes, but he’d have to make do. He managed to get to the Mikaelson girl fast enough. She struggled in the arms of one of the green creatures, casting fire spells at the green creatures. Only the purple monster seemed to flinch at the flashes of light.

“The purple one’s a troll!” Ryan told her as he came upon them. A green one turned on him. “Conjure some sunlight and it’ll turn to stone!” The green one swung it’s fist at him. Ryan ducked and delivered an upper jab. He kneed the monster in the gut, making it huff at him. It didn’t matter, he knew how to kill a cyclops. “Do you have a knife?” he asked.

“A little busy here!” she shouted, still struggling with the green monster. She chanted something in Latin and light burned in the dark for a single moment, the troll turning to stone.

“Well this sucks,” he decided before rearing his fist back from the cyclops. It tried to hit him again, but in one quick motion, Ryan slammed his hand into the space of where the eye would be. The monster screeched beneath him as Ryan wrapped around the slimy eye and ripped it out from the cyclops’s head. The creature fell to its knees. Ryan crushed the eye, gagging at the disgusting sight, further killing it.

He turned on the last creature. Hope looked pleadingly at him as she struggled in its arms. She tried kicking it, with some success, but the cyclops didn’t let her go. He saw the stone statue of the troll nearby and kicked it over. The rock shattered into a thousand pieces. Ryan picked up a nice pointy stone and tested it in his hand.

He looked at the tribrid. “If I save you, will you work with me?”

“Are you serious right now?”

Ryan grinned. “Deadly.”

“Kill it and we’ll talk,” she said.

“Hm…” Ryan tapped his foot. “I’m not sure if I like that deal.”

The cyclops let out a roar and tightened its grip on her arms.

Hope cried out and struggled again. “Fine!” she yelled. “Just kill it!”

“Gladly.” Ryan took a step back and then launched the rock shard forward, directly into the eye socket and skull of the cyclops. The monster let out a wail let go of Mikaelson, falling to the ground with a large thump. 

The girl rubbed at her arms and tried to dust off her jacket, looking at the creatures around them and not at them. Ryan stood there in their silence, waiting for her to look at him. When she didn’t, he cleared his throat and began, “So, _partner_ , we really should get going soon.”

“About that…”

“You’re not _seriously_ trying to break out of our deal already, are you?” Ryan scoffed. “I thought you Mikaelsons kept your word.”

“I’m not baking out,” she said, voice low, “I just want to clarify a few points before we move on. Like how we aren’t partners, because _I don’t trust you_.”

He shrugged. “Fair enough.” 

“Tell me now, why should I help you get out of here? Is there even a way out of here?”

“There is,” he confirmed. When he didn’t continue, she gestured at him to elaborate. “Well, you see, there’s really only one way to escape Malivore: if he lets you. This whole place, it’s a maze down here. The closer we get to the center of Malivore, the closer we get to the exit. Me? I know how to navigate the space. If you were human or one of the other creature’s, you’d never make it past the black void.”

“ _Past_ the black void?” She frowned. “What else is there.”

“There are…four rings of Malivore. When we get to the center ring, we’ll be able to get to the portal out of here. It’s the only way out. Malivore can only keep one portal open, but he makes it impossible for anyone to get to it without his permission.”

“Is this portal always open?” He nodded. Hope frowned. “Then why aren’t everyone just escaping Malivore? I can see how it’d take some time to get through the maze, but you would get there eventually, why not leave.”

“The ocean surrounding the exit is...painful.” Ryan tried not to think about the last time he’d been in it. “People drown before they reach the exit. But with your magic, we can change things, you can be the key to getting out of here.”

“So why do I need you?” she asked, crossing her arms. She raised a brow at him.

Ryan wanted to laugh, because she really was so stupid and naive. “Did you not hear me? The maze is impossible to get through without me. I know Malivore, I know how to walk through it.”

“So? It’ll take some time, but I have forever.”

“You’re forgetting the monsters,” Ryan reminded her. “ _I_ know how to stop them. Without me, you’ll be dead within the week. Your magic, although _very_ useful, is also a beacon for monsters everywhere. You’re going to need help fighting all the monsters.”

“Okay then.” Hope nodded. “Why should I let you escape Malivore?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I need your help, sure, but I can’t let you out of Malivore. What’s to stop you from trying to get to Landon again?”

“I’d rather go another three hundred years before I see that dweeb ever again.”

“Okay, in three hundred years, you’ll be back to your same old tricks.”

“What do you want me to say, Hope?” he asked, his arms waving. “I’m done with Malivore. I wanted to raise him so I didn’t have to fear him anymore, now I just want to leave and never turn back.”

“Promise me that then,” Hope said. “Make me a deal.”

Ryan rubbed his eyes in frustration. “An oath?”

“Yes. Or I’ll put another mimic spell on you again and I’ll never see you again.” She already looked like she was about to do it. Ready to walk away from him. Ready to go back into the void alone rather than deal with him.

“ _F_ _ine_ ,” Ryan growled. “I promise, Hope Mikaelson, that when we get out of Malivore, you will never have to see my face again. I swear to you, that I will never go after you, your friends, or your precious _Landon_ ever again. Okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded.

Ryan suddenly grinned. “Let’s shake on it.” He held out his hand to her.

She looked down on it. “Ew no! You killed that cyclops with it.”

“A deal is best made when it’s shaken on,” he said with a smirk. He hated most of his life right now, but this? He could enjoy this moment. “I insist.”

“You’re a monster.” Hope grimaced, but then she reached forward and shook his hand. A deal forged in blood. Neither would ever forget it.

* * *

**_Forbes Rd, Mystic Falls…_ **

Ryan sat in one of cafes of Mystic Falls. Not in the grill, as that was well frequented by the members of the Salvatore School and Hope herself. He didn’t know if she actually liked to eat there, but he couldn’t risk it. He felt bad enough that he was still in town, he couldn’t break any more of his promise. Hope was capable of protecting herself, he knew that well, but it didn’t stop him from tensing when he learned through the police scanner, deductive reasoning, and some magical understanding, that there were monsters loose in Mystic Falls. 

Dad was up to his old tricks it seemed. Hope would be dealing with it, but he had yet to understand fully what her real plan was. She couldn’t keep stopping monsters in town and not get noticed by Saltzman. It would only take a matter of time before she desired for everyone’s memories to return or something else that would link her directly to Malivore. 

He could feel their link. The strand of magic would shift throughout the day, growing stronger and weaker depending on how the other tampered with it. Ryan had a good inkling that it was either him or Hope that kept the link intact. When one of them thought of the other, the bond reignited. With time, he was sure her thoughts of him would fade away so that only his strand towards her would remain. He doubted he’d ever live a day without thinking of her again. He didn’t understand why she hadn’t just ended the spell. She was more than capable and it was the other proper way to break it, but she hadn’t. Why? Either way, Ryan was grateful or her magic. When their bond tightened and grew, he could see flashes of what she saw, especially when she did magic, and he knew she was safe in those moments. 

He worried about what she saw in those moments. Which is why he was cooped up in a boring cafe, nondescript enough that it could be mistaken for any other place to eat. It was so close to looking like a Starbucks too, that it made identifying him nearly impossible. The only thing that gave him away was the newspaper in his hands. 

Ryan would need a place to stay if he was going to be here for a while. There weren’t really any hotels and that was a temporary solution. Despite his time as a Triad agent, Ryan had never truly liked the lack of a home. Even centuries after being on the run from his own father, Ryan wanted a place of his own. To make roots even if he really couldn’t. But Mystic Falls could be a place for that, even if for a couple of months. It would take time to destroy Malivore. He had books scattered among his safe houses that he could get, but he’d need more help eventually. He’d spent a couple centuries actively avoiding thoughts of his father and later ones trying to research ways to destroy him, before giving up hope and deciding to free him instead. Maybe with all he’d learned in the past couple of months, he could finally destroy him.

Ryan circled one house option and looked at a couple of apartments. Those might be better to keep together, but there’d be less stashing places. Ryan would need to contact some people, namely Florence as she was a no questions ask kind of vampire. They had met in the seventeen hundreds and she mostly kept to herself as he did, but they’d exchanged favors over the years. As he knew there could very well be a day when she forgot him, he had entrusted her with a few choice notes that would prove their previous ‘relationship’ of one another.

Either way, Florence would be given access to his Dayton home, as he had no inclination to return there any time soon. He’d revoke the deed so she could enter. He would also forward her a couple hundred thousand dollars, some of his treasures, and a supply of his blood (the few vampires that had fed off of him had found him to taste strange, yet alluring) in return for the items stashed in his Dayton home and for burning it after the fact. Florence had a strange adoration for receiving letters through the classifieds from one of the Swedish newsletters. After he finished finding the proper accommodations, Ryan would send her message shortly.

* * *

**_The Dark Zone…_ **

“Are we there yet?” Hope asked for the fifth time _today_.

“No,” Ryan gritted. The shard of rock in his hands, taken from the remains of the troll, was tempting him to do horrible acts to one Hope Mikaelson if she asked him one more stupid question.

“How do you even know we’re going the right way?” she asked. She had her own shard of rock in her hand, but she, being a witch, had transformed it into a knife. She could easily kill him that way and he wasn’t tempted to fight her any time soon. After she’d gained the knife, a group of ghouls had tried to eat them before Hope had put up an invisibility spell.

“You see that?” Ryan pointed at the ground, where there was a faint streak of blue.

“No, what are you talking about? There’s nothing there.”

“There’s his mark, right there. I can see it because I’m one of his sons, you can’t because you’re not. Just trust me on this. Now, will you just be quiet.”

“I don’t see how I can trust you,” Hope scoffed. “For all I know you’re leading me directly to your father so he can kill me for once and all. I wouldn’t be surprised, knowing _you_.”

Inside he was seething, on the outside, he remained calm. “I don’t think that even if I gave father your head on a plate, that I would make it out of here alive. It’s much better for me to get out of here and never return than face him.”

“So when we get out of here, you’re not going to help stop him? After you raised him?” Hope asked pointedly.

“Why would I?” Ryan scoffed. “We made a deal. I leave and never come back. Fighting Malivore can’t be done across the world. Do you want my help to defeat Malivore or to never return, Hope?”

“I mean, you must know _something_ about defeating Malivore. You’ve had centuries to figure it out.”

“You already know that a witch, werewolf, and vampire are needed to wipe away his mark. And the blood of the tribrid could stop him.” Ryan shrugged. “Not much else to be said.”

“There has to be _some_ way.”

About thirty years before Ryan went into the pit, he had heard rumors of powerful spells that could destroy monstrous beings. All theoretical. It would require several species to work together, which in itself was impossible to do. Ryan had never really gone down that path, and until he’d met the tribrid, Ryan had thought it was impossible to defeat his father.

Being _in_ the pit had changed his ideas. He knew his father’s body was down here, that his core was hidden deep inside Malivore. If Ryan was stupid, he could try and drag his body out so a set of magical beings to wipe his mark away. But Ryan wasn’t about to die on the off chance he killed his father. No, it was better for him to escape intact and figure out another day, _if_ he wanted to do that. He could just as easily spend the rest of his days on the beaches of the Caribbean, or preferably, cooped up in some Icelandic mountainside with a good library. 

“There isn’t,” he said, voice final. “We need to focus on the now, not on the future. There’s a lot riding on _if_ we can get out of here.”

“And how long will that take? How long have we even been in here?”

“Who’s to say?” Ryan shrugged. “Could be days, weeks, months, maybe even a year. I didn’t know how long I was here until I was gone. Fifty years or so had gone by.”

“Fifty years?” Hope’s face crinkled. “I can’t be here for fifty years…” In fifty years her friends would be old and wrinkly. At least her precious Landon would still be around.

To be honest, he’d spent most of his time in the blackness. The other zones had been much easier to cross once he got to them. Besides, with Hope nagging him, they’d be out of here in no time. The moment he escaped would be all the more sweeter without her bothering him every minute. It wasn’t that she wanted to know him, she wanted to know Malivore. That was all he was to her. And it wasn’t like she let him ask any questions about here. They were on a mission after all.

“It’s been quiet for a while…” They had run into another goblin, a pair of gargoyles, and a set of ravenous chupacabras in the oncoming days or hours. Father wasn’t normally this quiet. “I think we better prepare for--”

There was a howl in the distance. 

Both Hope and Ryan tensed. Hope glared at him. “You just _had_ to open your mouth, didn't you?”

* * *

**_Mystic Falls Complex…_ **

Ryan unlocked the front door to his new apartment, carrying bags from the local Target. Florence would be coming by later in the week with Ryan’s items. The apartment itself was small, with a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. The place was pre-furnished, so Ryan only had to buy some other necessities like bedding, groceries, and toiletries. The only item that he bought for his own comfort were the set of candles in one bag. Ryan didn’t understand magic all that well, but the comfort a plain candle provided him was one akin to a hug. He’d never known what comfort really meant until he was in the pit with Hope. 

Ryan unpacked his bag of items. 

As he’d gotten older and watched history repeat itself across nations, Ryan had been caught between two sides of the same coin. He knew, like he knew the mud that created him, and that he wasn’t human, but a monster. He was worthless, as his father had told him many times, because of infertility and because he couldn’t do magic. Ryan was a shadow of a monster, yet still a monster. He wasn’t human. And yet, he also was wracked with human dilemmas. Desire, despair, and shame, he knew those elements well. Other human emotions he had not succeeded, not without a deep price, but Ryan knew that monsters could experience such humanity and remain monsters. But he _was_ a monster.

Being in the pit with Hope hadn’t made things clearer, if anything, the lines became blurrier. He tried not to think about it often, but he couldn’t resist thinking about it while he lit a candle. No monster would feel comfort from a simple candle. The light outside was bright enough, but there was something peaceful at inhaling the tiny tendrils of smoke, like one of the bonfires he used to attend back in the old days. He liked those bonfires. Those that had been laid to rest and their bones burned, were at peace from what the elders used to say.

Ryan couldn’t ever be at peace.

As he was putting his yogurts in the fridge, he felt his shoulder snap suddenly. Ryan cried out as he leaned against the kitchen counter. Blinking rapidly as a series of sharp pains traveled up and down his spine, along every bone in his body. 

_Hope_.

She must’ve been transforming into a werewolf. This had been the first time since they were bonded for this to occur. He hadn’t realized that the bond would allow pain to cross through. He would need to be careful, so as to not give himself away anytime soon. The bond, in Hope’s wolf form, also became clearer to access. In Hope’s wolf mind, things must’ve been clearer and sharper, no need for the background chatter that a witch’s mind suffered. For a moment, Ryan could visibly see his own brother staring back at him, confusion written across his stupid face. Ryan felt himself growl in warning, probably at him. Ryan didn’t realize Hope would be able to hear him.

Then, behind Hope, he saw a monstrous wolf-like creature. He had hunted one of those centuries ago.

 _It’s a Shunka,_ Ryan thought. _Go for it’s throat and then stab it in the brain._ He wasn’t sure if she could hear him through the bond. Maybe only emotions were felt through the bond. Or maybe she didn’t want to hear anything from him. He’d broken some of his promise, she had a great reason to despise him. 

But then he felt something like _thank you_ simmer across his skin and he knew everything was okay.

He blew out his candle and smiled.

* * *

**_The Edge of the Dark Zone…_ **

Hope was insistent on facing the creature to kill it before it killed them. Ryan thought it’d be better for them to keep moving and follow the path. In the end, they both got their way. Malivore’s maze of darkness led them directly to the problem. In the distance, he could see the tree line of the next zone of Malivore. The barren birch forest was much better than the empty blackness, but they wouldn’t be able to reach it without facing whatever creature was on their path.

Or creatures, if Ryan was judging the number of sounds in the dark.

Ryan saw a tell-tale image of fire and gripped his stone shard tightly. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be toast.”

“I know how to kill dragons,” Hope muttered. “Go for the throat.”

“I hear _four_ creatures. We were lucky with the trolls and cyclops, but I can’t take on four dragons at once. And even though I’ll come back from the dead, I don’t think _you_ will.” 

Hope rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a baby.”

Ryan gritted his teeth, watching her walk closer. They came upon the monsters and Ryan fell short. The dragon, in its animal form, flew angrily over the other creature. At first Ryan thought it was a Bernese Mountain dog.

“How did a dog end up in here?” Hope asked. “Please tell me Malivore doesn’t eat kittens and puppies for breakfast.” She gripped her knife in her fist.

Ryan watched the dog run in circles around the dragon as it spewed fire at it. Ryan thought the dog was running around strangely and then he saw another head, and then _another_ head. Ryan shifted uneasily. “Hope, that’s Cerberus.”

“Cerberus?” Hope gaped. “The guardian of hell? But it’s just a puppy!”

“I don’t know how to kill it,” Ryan admitted. “The last time I got one of them down here was by luring a pile of dead bodies to the pit like chew toys.”

“And who were those bodies of?” Hope glared.

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know, they were unclaimed at the morgue.”

Hope looked like she wanted to leave him unclaimed at the morgue. 

“If worse comes to worse, we could take off one of it’s heads and see what happens.” He doubted it was a Hydra situation, but there was only one way to find out.

“I don’t know if I could look myself in the mirror again if I killed such a cute dog,” Hope said. “Only a monster could do that.”

At that exact moment, one of the heads let out a yowl as another one bit the wing of the dragon. Ryan shuddered at the thought of those hellhounds’ teeth.

“Last time I faced one, I almost lost my hand,” Ryan said. “Their bite is _poison_. I think that should mean it’s okay to kill them.”

“If that was the criteria, I could’ve gotten rid of Alyssa Chang years ago,” Hope muttered darkly.

“Who?” Ryan squinted. Either way, he was glad he wasn’t her.

Before Hope could continue, the dragon had caught sight of them and was now trying to breath fire in their direction. Cerberus ran laps around them and bit at the dragon where he could. Ryan tried throwing his rock into the neck of the dragon, but missed.

“Distract it!” Hope yelled. “I’ll kill it!”

Ryan was about to grumble about his suit and how it’d probably burn before she got to it, but Hope was already running towards Cerberus and he had no choice but distract the dragon. Ryan found his stone shard on the ground and picked it up again, this time aiming for the body of the beast, to draw it’s ire. Ryan waved his hands frantically, catching its attention. As it began to follow him, breathing fire at his feet and the back of his neck--he could even feel some of his hair starting to singe--he saw Hope approach the Cerberus. He ran towards her, worried that she’d get herself killed.

Playing into her plan, as Ryan ran towards her, the Cerberus now carrying Hope ran towards him and the dragon. Ryan dove for the ground just as Cerberus leaped. Ryan rolled on the ground just in time to see Hope jump from the Cerberus’s back and towards the dragon’s throat. She rammed her knife into its soft spot and fell onto the back of the Cerberus again. The dragon let out a warbled screech and crashed into the ground near Ryan. Dead.

Ryan got to his feet slowly, hip bruised from flinging himself to the earth. The Cerberus approached him, Hope still on its back, and stopped before him. Ryan tensed, fearing that it would lash out and bite off his head because of its glowing orange eyes and gigantic sharp teeth. Instead, the Cerberus’s heads licked him on the cheek, one after the other, in a slobbery kiss. Ryan immediately wiped at his face, scowling at the drool that now stained his shirt. Hope laughed as she got off the creature and came around to face him. She pet the Cerberus gently like they were old friends.

“See? Cute dog.”

“Hellhound,” he corrected.

Hope laughed. 

He didn’t think he’d ever heard her carefree before. It was strange and yet, also a bit warming…

“Thanks to this little buddy, we got the dragon.” Hope shrugged. “I say we keep him.”

“It’ll turn on us,” Ryan told her. “It’s going to eat us later while we sleep.”

“You don’t sleep,” Hope scoffed.

He did sleep. He didn’t need it often or for long, but he did sleep. Still… “Fine then, it’ll eat _you_ when you sleep, and I won’t do anything to stop it.”

“Hush,” she said with a grin. She scratched behind the ears of one of the heads. Cerberus looked like it was in heaven. “We make a good team, don’t we,” she cooed at the creature. “Don’t we, good boys?” 

Cerberus drooled in response.

“Excuse me,” Ryan cleared his throat, “but I am a part of that team _too_.”

Hope looked at him strangely. “I guess so.” It was like she was seeing him for the first time. He hated not knowing what she saw. “Good work, Clarke.” Hope didn’t trust him, he knew that, but he also knew there was begrudging respect in her eyes, like she could learn to trust him as the number of monsters grew. He didn’t think he cared about having her trust until he saw an inkling of it in her eyes.

Cerberus sniffed Hope and Ryan’s heads, each getting another wet kiss on the cheek, before running off into the void, barking happily away.

Hope looked sad it’s departure. He couldn’t blame her. He knew it sucked to hang out around him. “Do you think every creature down here is a monster?” Hope asked.

“Malivore was designed to eat monsters,” Ryan said.

“Yeah, but Triad fed people to it, right?” Hope shrugged. “Alaric met a dryad who was harmless, and there was that Gorgon that was nice. What if there are other good creatures down here that shouldn’t be here?”

“I try not to think about it,” Ryan admitted. If he did, he might develop a conscious and an ocean of guilt. She looked like she wanted to say more, but Ryan pointed in the distance. “Come on, we’re almost out of the void zone.” He led her through the dark shadowy plane.

As they approached the dead forest zone, the ground became less flat concrete and speckled with moss, then grass. The dead forest was an empty sea of birch trees, leafless and devoid of life. The only thing here were trees and the grass. Bushes, vines, and fallen trees were nowhere to be found. This place was orderly and neat, bizarrely empty yet full. .Ryan had spent a huge chunk of his time here in the dead forest because he hadn’t known there was more to see. When he came upon the desert, he knew there was more to be seen in Malivore, and if he followed the blue strand of Malivore’s magic, an exit.

“One down, four to go,” Ryan said.


	2. Sequitur Tristitia (Sadness Followed Us)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Malivore, Hope learns a little something about Ryan, the two suffer through growing pains, and they make a friend while they wander through the dead forest.
> 
> In Mystic Falls, Hope and Ryan meet again, and Ryan helps the Saltzmand twin.

**_Triad Industries, 1953…_ **

“Tough day?” Gary asked.

Ryan looked away from the window. “Hm?”

“Tough day?” Gary repeated. “You’ve been staring at the window for the past fifteen minutes. What’s been stuck in your head?”

Ryan rubbed at the space under his eyes and sighed. “I’m not sure, Gary. I thought I remembered something, but I can’t quite remember what it was…”

“The pit’ll do that,” Gary said. “I heard management’s putting three of our guys in some time today. I can’t remember who, so maybe they already did, but they said it was because they helped a group of sirens escape the compound last night. Tsk.” Gary shook his head. “It’s one thing to help those monsters, it’s another thing to erase staff.” 

It wasn’t that. Ryan knew what losing beings to Malivore felt like. He, unlike other beings, _could_ remember those that fell in after some time. He’d forget them for a couple of days and then be reminded, slowly but surely, of their existence. Also, whenever someone fell into his father, a pin prick settled at the corner of his eyes.

What he felt right now… 

He couldn’t be sure what it was. It was like he was in a dream or memory, trying to sift through the distortions. He could see Gary, clear as day, and yet his partner felt wrong to him. The man was in his late forties, with a scruffy mustache and beard. Overweight and stuck with glasses, Gary didn’t seem much like a threat, but Ryan had witnessed him take down creaturies without a moment’s hesitation. In their five years of working together, they had had no issue completing tasks at Triad. Although Ryan had a long history at the company, he often found himself working in the agent section of the business. No one questioned it, although they probably wanted to. Rumors had followed him for decades about whether or not he was a discreet vampire or a slow aging witch. 

“Did you hear about the new recruit?” Gary whispered. “Heard she’s young.”

“Recruit?” Ryan blinked. “I don’t remember hearing about a recruit.”

“Rita says she came from the Anchorage compound. Tim thinks she’ll be ugly, but I’ve got a bet going that she’s a pretty broad.”

“You are disgusting,” Ryan scoffed. “Taking bets on the attractiveness of a woman?”

“Just because you’ve never felt a wet whim, doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate it,” Gary chuckled. 

Ryan frowned. Normally, he wasn’t so obscene about women. In fact, normally Gary wasn’t anything rude. Had Ryan forgotten what his old partner was like? 

“I’m going downstairs,” Ryan said, getting up from his desk. Ryan pulled on his suit jacket, smoothing down the blue cloth. He smoothed his hand along the gel in his hair and adjusted his tie pin.

“Aw are you offended?” Gary cooed, snacking on a bag of chips. “Did I hurt your little stone man feelings?”

“No,” Ryan said curtly. “I have something to discuss with Mitch.” That was the control room tech above the pit. Mitch had gotten some strange readings on the pit and Ryan, who’d been here for a while, would be able to tell him if there were any other similar readings in the past few decades.

Ryan walked towards the elevator door. Just as he was about to press the elevator button, the doors opened and a woman stepped out. She wore a gray-blue plaid skirt, a little looser than a pencil skirt, and a white button up blouse. Her red hair was pulled into a high pony with matching red lipstick. She was young, surprisingly so, but she carried herself with poise and age. Despite her youth, Ryan felt smitten. She waltzed out of the elevator, but at the sight of Ryan faltered, mouth parting.

“Your hair’s slicked back!” she said, almost laughing at him.

Ryan tilted his head. “Do I know you?” he asked. Something about her…

“Um…” the woman frowned. “You don’t remember?”

Had _he_ been thrown into the pit? No, Gary remembered him. “Sorry,” Ryan said curtly, “I have to be somewhere else. I take it you’re the new recruit?”

“New recruit?” the girl blinked and then her eyes widened. “Oh, yeah! That’s me.”

“Have you met with Regina?”

“Uh, no, was I supposed to?”

Ryan didn’t want to call her a little thick in the head, but she seemed a little out of the loop. Or maybe she wasn’t in the loop to begin with. “You expect a field agent to go out there without a gun?” Ryan raised a brow. “Where did you come from?”

“Oh, well, Jim held me up with the ID stuff,” the girl fumbled.

“Ah,” Ryan hummed. There was no Jim in security as far as he knew. “Jim’s like that.” The relief across her face confirmed it: she wasn’t meant to be here. He’d have to interrogate her. Every few years, spies tried to infiltrate Triad industries out of intrigue for the shadow company. Ryan didn’t typically deal with those interrogations, but he’d need to keep an eye on her before she did anything else. “I can take you to Regina, if you’ll follow? I just have an errand to run in the control room.”

“That sounds great, thank you.”

Ryan pressed the elevator button again and stepped inside. The girl followed after him. He studied the girl closely, taking note of the clean cut of her blouse, the stitching at the hem of her skirt, and the little curl of red hair in her pony. There was a chain on her neck, but the pendant was tucked inside her blouse. Private, maybe a giveaway of her identity, or a personal keepsake. The more he looked at her, the more he realized she couldn’t be any older than eighteen. What agency sent a child to do their dirty work? Ryan pressed the button to the basement level.

“Ryan Clarke,” he introduced, trying to go for casual. He left his gun in his desk near Gary. Ryan wasn’t particularly a fan of guns, but they were effective. His belt had a small knife hidden in it. He could get it, but he would need to be quick if he was going to attack her.

“Hope Mikaelson,” she returned. She looked at him, blue eyes almost hopeful. As if she expected something from him. 

But he felt nothing, but the feeling that he was forgetting something. “I’ve been to a couple of the other branches, but not Anchorage. Was it cold there?”

“Sometimes,” Hope said. “It never bothered me.” 

“Why did you decide to transfer?” he asked.

“More promotion opportunities,” she said. “And Kentucky is closer to Nola.”

“New Orleans,” Ryan hummed. “Big supernatural community…we’ve had our eye on them for some time.” She didn’t seem surprised by the mention of supernaturals. 

“We don’t deal with the main three though,” Hope pointed out. Maybe she _was_ meant to be here. That was the big rule and the easiest way to spot a liar. 

“I still find a few dangerous creatures in those parts,” Ryan said.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Ryan walked into the control room with ease, knowing the Hope girl would be behind him. Techies and assistants fluttered around the room, dealing with different buttons and readings. Ryan didn’t like this floor all that much because of the noise and clutter. Humans acted like they were on wall street here. Ryan made his way to the window to check on dear old dad. He had a habit to do this as it reminded him of why he was here. He watched with bitterness as two members of the disposal crew hauled in a nervous looking man, who struggled against them. Martin, he thought. Gary and Martin used to go to the racetracks on Thursdays, if he recalled. Martin had three kids. 

Ryan watched as Martin was thrown into the pit in one huge splat. Ryan could already feel him disintegrating from his mind. In a few moments, it would be business as per usual. In the window’s glass, Ryan could see Hope’s reflection. Must’ve been her first time witnessing Triad disposals. Most branches transported their captures to headquarters to be disposed of after extensive interrogation. Ryan turned around, spotting Mitch in the far corner, discussing readings with Wallace.

“Don’t worry,” Ryan said sadly, eyes returning to hers, “you’ll get used to it.” 

She opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing.

Ryan nodded and walked over to Mitch. “You said you had something?”

“Ah, Ryan, my lad, just the man I wanted to see.” Mitch smiled and closed his latest report. “I know I called you up here for the Malivore readings, but I got news frm Rita and it takes certain precedence.”

“Is it about the new recruit?”

“New recruit?” Mitch blinked. “No, it’s about that partner of yours. Gary was it?”

Ryan felt sludge in his gut. It made his knees buckle and his teeth grind. He wasn’t expecting the blow to his emotions. He’d never felt this way before. Dread weighing deep inside of him, almost as difficult as crossing the sea of… Ryan blinked. When had he crossed a sea? And why did he feel so bad all of the sudden. He shook his head and focused on what Mitch was saying.

“The last guy they interviewed, Marvin or something, said there were four guys involved with the siren escapes. Apparently your partner is the last one on the list _and_ he knows where they’re hiding them. The board wants this taken care of, soon. Go to Regina’s and get a vial of the good stuff and get Gary down to interrogation. And before I forget.” Mitch handed him a file. “Take a look at these readings, tell me what you see.”

Ryan nodded curtly. He took the file and put it under his arm. He glanced at Hope, who was standing by a desk a few feet away, giving them the illusion of privacy. He tilted his head towards the elevator door and she nodded. This time she pressed the button and they went inside. He pressed level nine for Regina.

They stood side by side in silence. Ryan took a quick glance at the file. For some reason it was written in Greek, but the numbers did look strange. Father was acting up.

Hope interrupted, “Okay, I thought I could play along, but I guess I can’t anymore.” She whirled on him. “I know you!” Hope said. 

Ryan tensed. “Excuse me?”

“We know each other, we’ve met before!” 

If this girl had been thrown in the pit, he should’ve remembered her by now because no way would Malivore allow her to escape. Actually, Malivore wouldn’t allow them to escape at all! No one had left the pit before. 

She had to be a spy.

Ryan reached for the space at the back of his belt and clicked on the leather, releasing the knife there. He pulled out the blade and gripped it, making moves to throw it at her. Before he could swipe, Hope blocked and dodged him. The file fell onto the ground in a scatter of paper. She whispered something in Latin—a witch then—but for some reason it had no affect. She fought him with ease, as if he was no match for her, only a sliver of fear across her face. Something about her punching him in the chest, blocking his knife, and the firm line of her lips gave him pause, made him hold back. Ryan _never_ held back in a fight.

She tried grappling the knife out of his hands and he decided he had enough of this, pushing her into the corner of the elevator and pressing the knife to the edge of her throat. Their breathing was heavy as they looked at each other with weary eyes. Their faces were close together. He could see the little freckle on her cheek and he knew one of his curls stood up against the gel. He probably looked like a mess, while she still looked perfect.

“Clarke, don’t do this,” she said, voice strong. “We know each other, you don’t need to hurt me.”

“If you insist that we know each other tell me something about me then. Something Triad wouldn’t know.”

“Uhh…” Hope squinted. “Haven’t you been working here for centuries?” But most members of Triad knew that. He didn’t let up his grip on her shoulders. “I know you lured a Cerberus into the pit using a trail of dead bodies.”

“That was in this month's newsletter,” Ryan snarled. “You’ll have to do better to convince me.” He pressed the blade to the skin of her neck.

“Okay, okay, okay!” she said, stopping him. “Let me think, uh…I mean we really don’t know each other _all that well_. You tried killing me and my friends. You almost killed my boyfriend and your brother because you wanted to use him to raise your father from the pit—”

The blade fell from his hands and onto the elevator floor. Ryan stepped away from Hope. “Raise Malivore?” he said in disgust. “Me? I’d rather go into it than ever do that.” 

“But you have done that,” Hope told him.

He backed himself into the other corner, the dread returning to him. He went into Malivore? Why? Yes, Ryan hated himself and the longer he was at Triad the more he found their mission corrupted, but to return to his father? There was an aching, gnawing feeling in his gut, the dread intensifying.

_Return to your father, return to him, there’s nothing left for you here, return to h—_

Ryan glared at the girl on the other side of the elevator. “Are you one of the sirens?” he demanded. “You’ve filled my head with poison!”

“What? No—Clarke, I’m just a witch, something very wrong is going on,” she said. He couldn’t listen to her, not when the existential dread ate at his insides, fed on his brain and what was left of his heart. She continued but he barely heard her, “I woke up in this weird reality of yours, I think it might be a memory, and I can’t remember why I’m here, but that I needed to find you. Everything’s wrong down here, the clocks, the signs, even the faces people make when they say terrible stuff. The security officer told me to throw myself off the roof as he handed me an ID with a smile. I think we’re in one of your memories, but I don’t know why. I know most people remember stuff with rose colored glasses, but you really have a mean streak don’t you, Clarke, but I don’t get—”

The elevator dinged open. 

Ryan shook his head and practically ran out the elevator. He needed to get away from her. 

“Wait! Clarke!” Hope shouted.

He couldn’t help but stop. The dread in his gut ceased for a moment. It felt like drinking water in the desert. He sucked in a deep breath, unable to face her. 

“You know everything there is about monsters, do you know if there’s anything that affects memories? Or creates visions or illusions? Something that messes with the mind?”

“I don’t know, an ortenax? A succubus or a kitsune? We would now if there was something like that here and I really don’t have time for this, Hope.” He still couldn’t look at her.

She was silent for a moment, thinking. “I’ll figure out what’s going on, okay? I’ll meet up with you later.”

The dread was returning, telling him that he should lie, that he should try and avoid her at all costs, that she was the enemy, that everything she said was wrong. He nodded his head stiffly and kept walking.

He didn’t know where she went as he made his way to Regina’s desk. Regina was a beautiful black woman, who liked to wear purple lipstick and pearl earrings. When he looked upon her now, her skin looked dull as if she spent too much time in the dark and her lipstick was a pink color. For a moment he thought she looked strange, a feeling of unease curling inside of him, but that went away and he had no memories otherwise. 

“Regina, I hope all is well,” he greeted, “I need a vial of Syn-9.”

“This about Gary?” she asked.

“Yes.” 

Regina went into the storage closet and came out with a syringe and a vile of the good stuff. It acted as a truth serum, made it so Gary would be more compliant to share his memories. Regina held the vile out to him. He tried taking it, but then Regina closed her hand around his. Before he could ask, Regina put her other hand on top of his and pulled him close.

“Tell me everything about Gary,” she whispered, her voice soothing.

Ryan’s eyes drooped as his mouth opened. “Gary is my partner,” he began. He couldn’t help himself as he began to recite everything he knew about Gary. He was allergic to blueberries and enjoyed the music from the twenties. He had a collection of model airplanes and Ryan met Gary’s wife Eugenia in the fourth month of working together. Gary had a fascination with Ryan’s tie pins and would joke with him about how Ryan looked like a college freshmen. Ryan told Regina about the time they had to infiltrate a college campus to find an incubus and how Gary spent the better part of the month laughing over his wool cardigans and pressed slacks. Ryan couldn’t help himself as he continued to tell stories about Gary, feeling a pit of dread grow as his memory became fuzzy. 

Regina smiled at him softly, “Now tell me about Malivore.”

He wanted to resist, but couldn’t. Ryan opened his mouth and began to talk.

* * *

**_Forbes Rd, Mystic Falls…_ **

Ryan sat in the cafe chair and brought the cup to his lips. Normally, Ryan drank coffee, but he was in the mood for a hot chocolate. He’d woken up that morning from an overdue sleep with dread in his gut. He’d been dreaming about Malivore, both the first and second time he was there. He’d met with Florence a few days ago. She looked at him warily as she handed over the valuables. She still didn’t quite understand how this stranger knew her, but she couldn’t help but believe him after he’d told Florence her embarrassing stories about skinny dipping in the Vatican. Ryan had also given her five packets of his blood, hence why he needed to sleep it off later on, and she’d consumed the first one with intrigue.

Now that he had some of his old books, he’d be able to start his research again about Malivore, now knowing what he knew from his last dive into the pit. He would need to collect his valuables from the Baltimore and Santa Fe houses if he wanted to have all of his research. He could make a trip to Baltimore soon, but he might need to contact Florence and destroy his other safe house to get the rest of the books. He’d go to Baltimore before he made a decision on that.

Ryan spread out one of his old journals, the kind he kept in the early fifteen hundreds. His handwriting had been god awful at the time, but he could decode it well enough. There was a passage about his father’s speech patterns and how they altered based on what creature he ate recently. Father was always changing, but not always for the better.

“Ryan,” a voice said.

He choked on his hot chocolate and pulled the cup away. Wiping his mouth with a napkin as he looked up at Hope Mikaelson. “I--you aren’t--” he sputtered, trying to look away and also desperately trying to look at her again. She wasn’t supposed to see him. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “I was just, in town to pick up some of my things, I won’t be here for long, I swear, I--”

“Relax,” she smiled and sat down across from him. “I know you’ve been here the entire time.”

Ryan closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know I promised…”

“I don’t mind,” Hope said. “I’m actually kind of…glad that you’re here.”

He opened his eyes. “You are?” He could feel the bond between them, growing strong and steady as they sat across from one another. He could feel her magic, the way it hummed pleasantly in the air like clouds drifting on a warm spring day. Ryan blinked at his own pleasantries.

“Yeah, it’s,” she settled more comfortably in her chair, “kind of nice to have someone around who remembers who I am.”

Ah, right. No one would remember except him. She didn’t want to be forgotten. She had to settle for being known by _him_ and not any of her friends. “Yes, Malivore has that kind of effect on people.”

“I told Alaric who I was,” she said. At his confused look, she clarified, “Dr. Saltzman.” Ah, he remembered now. “He’s taking me in, but he doesn’t _actually_ remember me.”

“Surely your other friends will do the same,” Ryan reasoned. “They might not remember _the_ Hope Mikaelson, but they surely will bow down to you once they do.”

Hope hid a smile behind her latte. 

He liked seeing her smile.

She put her cup down and sighed. “I don’t know. I went by the school, everyone seems so happy. Lizzie, MG, Kaleb…Josie and Landon.” Ryan felt himself frown at the mention of his brother. “They’re dating,” Hope admitted sadly. “I saw them kissing.”

Part of him was pleased, because if Landon was busy with the Saltzman girl, then Hope was free to pursue whoever she wished. But, and Ryan knew this all too well, that Hope loved deeply and she wasn’t going to give up Landon anytime soon. She loved him. And he, at some point, had loved her too.

“What if I find a way to return their memories and he doesn’t…” Hope couldn’t finish her sentence, but he knew what she hadn’t said.

_What if he doesn’t love me?_

Ryan grinned, albeit sadly, at her. “When you return their memories,” because there was no doubt in his mind that Hope would figure out a way, “I’m sure they will love you just as they always have. You are Hope Mikaelson,” he reminded her, “everyone loves a hero.”

* * *

**_Triad Industries, 1953…_ **

After interrogating Gary for the better part of two hours, Ryan had gained all relevant information about the Sirens. They were hidden at the Kentucky waterpark for the time being as they couldn’t be away from water for too long. Ryan finished his notes about Gary. There were three other conspirators working with Gary to help the women escape. They weren’t a part of Triad, but were under the spell too. Even though Triad’s people had ear muffs that could block out the allure of Sirens, Gary and his fellows had struck a deal with them to help them escape. There were at least four other incidents of helping supernaturals escape, including muses, djinns, and fae. Gary and his conspirators only helped those they deemed harmless and good intentioned, but that was not Triad’s policy. All must be put in the pit. Gary was sweating across from him and a scared glazed look had crossed his face from the Syn-9 drug.

“What are you going to do to me?” he asked weakly. 

“You know what must happen next,” Ryan said coldly.

“Ryan, please, I have a family.”

“Agent Simmons, you know the rules.” Ryan stood up from his chair and came around to Gary. The man struggled against the chains, but Syn-9 also made users complacent. Ryan got him to his feet and started to lead him down the hallway to the pit. Gary begged him as they went, reminding him of all their times together, and pleading with him to think of Eugenia and his children, little Amy and Jerome. But his words meant nothing to him. Ryan knew they should’ve, because they usually did, but Gary brought up things he already knew, had already forgotten. Gary couldn’t have meant anything to him.

Ryan opened the door to the pit chamber. Gary stumbled as he was led inside. He felt Gary cling to his suit jacket, whimpering as they got closer to the pit. The pit terrified Ryan, but he knew he would feel better as soon as he put Gary in. He had to put Gary in. It was the only thing that made sense.

“Ryan, son, please don’t do this,” Gary begged. “Please don’t.”

His chest spasmed painfully. He wanted to help him, he must’ve wanted to, but couldn’t. “You know the rules,” was all Ryan could say, voice cold. 

Then he pushed Gary into the pit.

He knew Gary’s screams would haunt him for years. For a moment, Ryan knew they did. A vision of him trapped in Malivore, in the darkness, crying out for Gary, searching for him desperately, but knowing he’d never come. Knew he was gone, or didn’t want to see Ryan ever again.

Ryan stared at the pit and felt like the world was on his shoulder. Regret, grief, agony, bubbled inside of him the longer he looked at the pit. Triad was shit. Corrupted, willing to take down their own. Gary was right, it was one thing to take down monsters, it was another to put in their own. Ryan was a monster. He deserved to be in the pit. Ryan felt his hands shake as he stepped closer. He should go into the pit. He _needed_ to go into the pit. He deserved the pit. He wanted to be in the pit. Ryan stood just in front of the inky sludge, wondering if sliding into it would hurt, or if the being went was worse.

Ryan was about to tip forward when he felt hands on him. “Clarke!” Hope shouted, pulling him back from the edge. “What are you doing?”

“Let me go!” he yelled, struggling against Hope. He had to go into the pit! “Let me go in! I need to go in!” But Hope had a tight grip on him and refused to let him go. He struggled against her as she pulled him back. He kicked fruitlessly. He wanted to fight her and give up, the two directions pulling against him until his head began to hurt. “Please!” he begged, but for what, he wasn’t sure.

“I saw you talking with Regina, she did something with you. Why are you acting like this? I saw her name tag, it actually read Mnemosyne.” Something about that name… “Who is that? I think it doesn’t affect me as much because this is your memory,” Hope said, trying to pull him away from the pit. 

He dragged his feet, trying to desperately touch the pit. He needed to go _in._ “Let me go, Hope! I need to go in! Let me go in!”

“Clarke stop! Who is Mnemosyne!”

He spoke without thought. “Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory. She feeds on core memories and twists them into something darker, makes everything much worse than they were.” It clicked then. Not all of it, but he could understand now why Gary and Regina had been acting strangely, why he could remember bits from the future, why his files were written in Greek. “If you complete the memory, then you die. Well, I die,” Ryan corrected, struggling against her.

She tried keeping him by the shoulders. “How does this memory end, Clarke?”

“After I pushed my partner in, I realized the industry was corrupted, irredeemable, hopeless. A couple weeks later, I came back and went in myself,” Ryan admitted. “I had given up—and if you would just _let me_ go back in the pit!” He elbowed her in the gut, getting one arm free of her.

“Oh no you don’t!” Hope got him in a choke-hold and then swung him around to the door. She pushed him towards it. He stumbled to the exit, each step feeling like his bones were crumbling, fire licking up his spine. He knew he’d feel better if he went into the pit.

“Please let me go in!” he begged. “I’ll be fine!” 

“How do I stop Mnemosyne?” Hope demanded, dragging him closer to the exit. 

“Uh,” Ryan tried scratching her clothes, so she’d let him go, but Hope was determined now as she dragged his ass through the door. She threw him into the hallway and locked the door behind her. She broke the lock so it was impossible for him to get inside. His head cleared for just a moment. “You have to chop off her head to kill her. That’s the only way.”

“Where can I get an axe?” she asked.

“Secret panel in the elevator,” he told her. “Listen Hope, there are two other entrances to the pit and I know how to get to them. It’ll take me five minutes to get there. I can feel the draw pulling me again. If I get into the pit before you kill her, I’m as good as dead, and seeing as you are buried in my memory, so are you.”

“Five minutes?” Hope glared at him. “That’s not enough time.”

“I know,” he said, standing up. “Which is why I need you to punch me.”

Hope blinked at him. “Um, _what_?”

“Knock me out, it’ll only last a little while, but it’ll work so just—” 

When he woke up, Hope was gone. He wanted to laugh because she really _hadn’t_ hesitated to punch him, and he definitely deserved it. Ryan tried everything he could to slow down his steps, to cling to door handles so as to keep him steady, but it was pointless, the urge to go into the pit suffocated him. The dread gushed through his veins and the pure relief and euphoria of returning to the pit was enough to drag him forward. He was a weak man. He wasn’t even a man. So he walked down the hall, up the stairs, because the elevator would make it easy, and he made his way to the control room. The control room was connected to the overwatch area. He tried to cling to Mitch as he walked through the room, but Mitch was nowhere to be found. The place was deserted, easy for him to rove through. 

As he stepped onto the observation rail, he contemplated jumping over. It felt wrong to do so without Hope trying to choke him as she forced him over. As much as she hated dragging him back into Malivore, he had to hand it to her: Hope had style. 

He walked down the metal steps of the observation deck. He took off his jacket and threw it aside. As he stepped closer to the pit, the feelings of despair and euphoria heightened and mingled until it was one overwhelming stream of emotion. Tears dripped down his face as he got closer and closer, hands clenched as he was forced to go through with it. 

He raised his foot, poised to step into the pit and return to his father, every bone in his body screaming at him, and then it felt like the world was crumbling. The walls shook and started to collapse, the puddle evaporating before him.

Ryan barely had a moment to blink before he was waking up in the dead forest.

He gasped as he sat up, tears still sticky on his face. He cried as he buried his face into his knees. The dread and ugliness in his gut, something like guilt and regret and shame, still curdled inside of him. He felt hollow. He felt like mud and nothingness. His breathing was all over the place, his throat collapsing on itself, and he felt sweaty and cold all over. He wanted to tear off his skin and burrow into a mountain of blankets at the same time. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he tensed at the warmth of it. “Clarke?” he heard Hope ask.

He froze, all noise sucked out of him. He remembered himself in that moment, and her. He was a monster and he knew that. He didn’t deserve whatever kindness her voice seemed to promise.

“Are you alright?” she asked again.

He finally looked at her, bleary and afraid. “Do I look okay?” he asked.

Hope whispered, “ _Papilo lux."_ A golden butterfly sprouted between them.

Ryan watched as it fluttered in the air, something in his chest easing. He didn’t feel the need to cry much anymore. “What was that?” he murmured transfixed to the fading butterfly.

“A comforting spell,” Hope told him.

“You did that...for me?” he blinked in confusion. 

Hope nodded, her hand slipping away from his shoulder. He wanted to pull her hand back into him, but knew he couldn’t. He didn’t deserve any more comfort than she’d already given him.

He noticed that there was another body to his left, dead this time. Mnemosyne, it seemed. Her head wasn’t cut off, like Hope probably did in the dream. He could already see her body dissolving to gold ash, how the Greeks died, no longer a threat. “Thank you,” he said, “for killing her.”

“She almost got me,” Hope chuckled, “but I got her in the end. When I woke up earlier, you were asleep, so I thought something was wrong, and then I saw her and _knew_ something was wrong. I knew the only way to stop her was to get in your head too, I’m just glad it all worked out in the end. That was a weird dream, though.”

“Memory,” he corrected. “Mnemosyne decided to target one of my darker moments.”

“That was a dark moment?” Hope laughed. “You only killed like one guy? I’ve seen worse.”

“That guy was my partner,” Ryan glanced at Hope briefly. “We worked well together. I’ve met his wife. His children.” Ryan looked upon his knees. “I knew he didn’t deserve it, but I did it anyway because Triad asked me to.”

To be honest, Gary had been a wonderful partner and man. Despite Ryan’s long history at Triad, Gary approached Ryan like _he_ was the one that needed to be shown the ropes. At times it had been aggravating, but it was also...the first time anyone had done that to him.

“And I went into the pit because of it,” Ryan continued. “I spent so much of my life running my father, only to return to him because…” Ryan shook his head and stood up. “It doesn’t matter. We need to keep moving.”

Hope looked like she wanted to say something more, but Ryan couldn’t bear whatever she had to say. She’d already seen his ugliness, no need to confirm it.

* * *

**_Mystic Falls Town Square…_ **

Ryan was just exiting the Golden Garden with his order of spring rolls, lo mein, and sesame chicken, when he noticed a group of suspicious teens clustered around one of the square’s big trees. Ryan didn’t have the best vision, but based on the sudden tingling of his bond and the sound of teen girls, Ryan thought he knew who was involved. Ryan tightened his grip on his plastic bag and made his way over. His hunger would have to wait. 

The closer he got, the more bits of the conversation he picked up. “No, I can’t live like this anymore!” one of the girls cried. None of the teens had noticed him, and to Ryan’s annoyance, he spotted the partially dead body of his younger brother.

He rolled his eyes and got closer.

“I thought I was better,” the blonde was saying. Ryan was surprised to see her chained to the tree. Saltzman was very good about keeping the supernatural presence away from the townies, but it looked like his children didn’t follow the same philosophies. “This is scarier than any demon in my head. Although that sucks, too.”

“Lizzie, it’s okay. We’re gonna fix you,” the other sister said.

“No. There’s no fixing me, Jo,” Lizzie cried. “I am just...shattered. The pieces are too small to put back together.”

Ryan stepped closer and cleared his throat. “What seems to be the problem here, ladies?” Hope and the twins turned to him.

“I’m sorry?” Lizzie cleared her throat. “Who is _that_ guy?”

“Uh…” Jo paused.

“He’s with me,” Hope supplied.

“What, is he your brother or something?” Lizzie asked.

Clarke kept his mouth, resisting the urge to kick at Landon’s prone form and say _No, but I’m his._ Hope looked at him threateningly as if she knew his thoughts exactly. “I’m a friend,” Ryan told them. “And I know a thing or two about what goes bump in the night. What’s going on here?”

“An Oni got inside of her,” Hope explained.

Ryan grimaced. Oni’s weren’t easy to destroy. You’d need a sword or…ah. He spotted the mystical blade on the grass. It glowed red and he could taste the dark magic from over here. 

“See? Even this guy knows it’s not use! Josie, tell Dad that I love him,” Lizzie continued. “But we need to end this.”

“What?” Josie blinked back tears. “No, I--”

“With that sword. Use it.”

“I know we just met,” Hope said, coming closer, “but there’s non way that we are gonna let that happen.” 

“ _You have no choice. This will not stop until you give me the boy,_ ” the demon inside of Lizzie spoke.

“Lizzie? Lizzie you gotta fight this thing!”

Ryan looked at the sword and wondered if neither of the girls could stomach it, if he would have to be the one to do it. He stepped closer to the sword and Hope glared at him. He stepped back, raising his hands in defeat.

“ _Fighting is useless. Malivore still lives_ ,” at this Hope and Ryan glanced at each other, “ _and his control over us is stronger than ever. Soon the likes of me will be the least of your concerns_ \--distracted during a monologue!” Lizzie chuckled weakly. “Classic villain mistake. Jo you gotta do this, for me. Okay? It‘s only a matter of time before you kick my ass in the Merge, anyway. And this is better than the Merge, because that way you won’t have to live with some messed-up part of me in your brain forever, driving you as crazy as I am.”

Ryan blinked. Merge? Were they a part of the Gemini Coven? 

“We weren’t gonna talk about that until we have real solutions,” Josie said, tearing up.

“Well, maybe this is it.” Lizzie cried out as she struggled with the demon inside of her. “Josie, it’s coming back. Please. You got to do this.” Lizzie looked at Hope. “If Josie won’t do this, then you have to.”

Ryan knew Hope would exhaust every opportunity to save her friends before she allowed that to happen. Ryan, not so much. He would do it the twin couldn’t.

Josie picked up the sword. “There’s so much black magic in this, it hurts to hold.” The girl started shaking.

Lizzie laughed weakly. “Probably won’t feel much better getting stabbed by it.”

“I can pull the magic out of this, I may be able to get the Oni out of you.”

“No,” Hope interrupted. “That’s a _lot_ of black magic, Josie. If you do that, that could kill you!”

“It’s better than stabbing my twin!”

“Actually, Hope,” Ryan interrupted, “if she’s a siphoner, then I can help with the after-effects.”

Hope glanced at him. “What? How?”

“I can eat the black magic,” he said. It would hurt like a bitch, and he’d die for a couple of days, but if it meant helping Hope’s friend, then he didn’t mind.

“Since when?”

He shrugged. He’d only discovered that trick after a run in with a very old witch named Dahlia and it had only been an accident. He’d gotten out of dodge before he got caught up in her shenanigans again.

“Do you know how useful that could’ve been down there?” Hope nodded at the puddle they came out of. That could’ve been useful, but it would’ve meant Hope dragging his ass through Malivore or guarding over his body for a couple days. It had been better if he stayed alive and well if they were to ever escape.

“What are you?” Josie asked with concern. “Are you like a black hole or something?”

“Or something,” he said. “Listen, do you want my help or not?”

“Can I even trust him?” Josie said to Hope. “I mean I barely trust you and--”

“Okay will someone _please_ get this thing out of me!” Lizzie cried. “We can deal with this later!”

Josie nodded and tightened her grip on the sword. Black crawled up her skin and to her face. Her eyes went black moment before she flung her hand at Lizzie. She screamed as the wave of black magic swelled out from inside of her. From Lizzie, the Oni began to release, it’s skin a bright red and face terrifying. Ryan watched as the creature expunged itself from Lizzie and into the puddle he and Hope had escaped Malivore from. They really needed to put some kind of boundary spell on that portal. 

Josie wobbled and dropped the knife. Ryan came forward and wrapped his left hand around hers. A hug would be better suited for this process, but he could draw the darkness in like this too. His father hadn’t granted him any of his important powers, but Ryan still had certain protections against magic. His father’s hatred of witch magic, he supposed. Either way, Ryan was able to draw the darkness out of Josie and store it inside of him. He released her when it was done, clenching his fist and already feeling the effects in his body.

“You did it,” Lizzie breathed. “I love you.” 

“You better,” Josie replied and then the two girls passed out.

Hope looked concerned and Ryan didn’t feel much better. The effects of the dark magic were already eating away at his body. He had a half an hour tops before he was dead. Just enough time to get back to his apartment, maybe eat a spring roll. 

Hope turned to him. “Ryan?” she wondered. She looked beautiful in the evening light. If he knew how to paint, he knew what it would be of.

“I…” The bond between them felt brittle, the dark magic eating at their connection. “I need to go.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Yes,” he said. He wiped the sweat from his brow. “But I really do need to go.” He wanted to stay for a moment longer, but he knew that was dangerous and stupid. Ryan could help Hope, when she needed it, and do nothing else. He had to. He couldn’t do what he really wanted, not if it meant never seeing her again. Stupid promises. He stumbled away.

“Ryan?” she called again.

He paused. “Yeah?”

“Thank you,” was all she said.

Ryan nodded and a moment later, left for his apartment.

* * *

**_The Dead Forest…_ **

Ryan and Hope walked through the barren birch trees. It had been a good couple of days. Only a few monsters crossed their path, most of them easy to destroy. Others, they hid from until they disappeared. Unlike Hope and Ryan, those monsters were on a path without guidance. They stumbled through the different darknesses without a glance their way. Hope was kind enough to not bother Ryan about the attack from Mnemosyne. There wasn’t much to say. Hope had seen him at his most vulnerable and he was a monster. It didn’t change things.

But, even he knew it changed things. When they fought monsters, things were easy. They knew how to work together for survival. As they fought more monsters, Hope began to trust Ryan for his input and Ryan trusted Hope to do her part. For all of Ryan’s years of existence, he wasn’t nearly as skilled (or ruthless) as Hope when it came to the battlefield, but he could still hold his own against some evil Gorgon or troll.

“What do you think they’re doing up there?” Hope wondered as they walked. 

They walked side by side. At times, Ryan was jealous at Hope for having her leather jacket. He had no idea what happened to his coat in between falling into the pit and meeting Hope again. Malivore wasn’t particularly cold, but he felt vulnerable without a jacket. Hope could hide from him, he couldn’t hide from her.

“Who?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Anyone really. Was there anyone you used to know?” Hope asked.

Ryan shrugged. “Not really.”

“Really? There was no one?”

“Why are you surprised?” Ryan scoffed. “I’m pretty sure you called me a freak the first time we re-met, _Jessica_.”

Her eyes widened. “You heard that?”

He laughed because he was just guessing, as that was the assumption of most teenagers when they saw him on assignment, but to actually call him that was amusing. He’d seen Hope and the other Salvatore School children murmuring among themselves when they dealt with the mummy. He knew he had a bit of a rat’s face but still. 

Ryan decided to give her mercy, but just this once. “There’s an acquaintance of mine up there,” he told her. “We weren’t particularly close, most vampires are solitary creatures, but she was reliable and interesting. I liked that about her.”

“Her?” Hope wiggled her eyebrows. “Is she cute?”

Ryan’s lips quirked. “Aren’t they all?”

Hope laughed before growing quiet. She looked sadly into the distance, fiddling with her family locket.

He nudged her slightly. “Hope?”

“Do you think he’s moved on?” Hope asked. “There are plenty of pretty girls at school. Landon must’ve noticed them.”

Ryan’s jaw clenched at the mention of his stupid brother. He couldn’t admit that it was certainly a possibility, maybe even a probability, that Landon found another special someone. It wasn’t like he would remember Hope. One couldn’t be faithful to what they’d forgotten. “I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask.”

“Why do you hate him?” Hope said suddenly. “I know you don’t know him all that well, Clarke, but I don’t understand why you wanted to kill him so bad. I mean he’s sweet, kind, smart…”

Ryan looked away as she continued to list out all the reasons why she liked boy wonder. His fists clenched angrily at his sides. Trying to explain to Hope why he hated his brother was like explaining why he hated his father: complicated and exhausting. Every time he tried to explain it, no one seemed to understand. It went back to his core being. “He’s everything I was supposed to be,” Ryan muttered.

“Meaning?”

“Father wanted progeny of his own,” Ryan explained. “All of his creations were failures. We became more lifelike, but none of us could reproduce. Not until my stupid brother. He casted the rest of us aside, worthless to him, and all I ever wanted to be was to be what he wanted. Landon is a…reminder of that failure.”

“So?” Hope blinked. “That’s Malivore’s fault. You don’t need to blame Landon, actually you _shouldn’t_ blame him. I love him and I know--”

“Landon is just as annoying as my father,” Ryan interrupted. “I spent a day with that dweeb and all he wanted to talk about was sci-fi and _Lord of the Rings_.” Ryan grimaced. “He has a ‘moral high ground’ and refuses to consider the other side. Trust me, I tried talking to that idiot and I was more than ready to give him up to dear old dad after that.”

Hope gaped at him. “Okay, just because he doesn’t seem to get that I don’t like talking about Hobbits, doesn’t mean you have the right to give him to Malivore forever. He’s the love of my life.”

“Why are you defending him?” Ryan asked. “He’s _not_ here.”

Hope’s mouth clicked shut.

“You don’t need to talk about him,” Ryan continued. “I’m not going to be convinced to like him, and it’s not like we’re going to _see_ him anytime soon. It’s pointless to think about him.”

“If I stop thinking about him then…” Hope looked away, into the forest around them. “Then it would mean giving up on returning to him.”

“Even if we get out of here alive, he might never remember you,” Ryan said. He regretted it immediately.

“You don’t think I already know that?” Hope glared at him, tears in her eyes. “So we can just shut up about this.”

“Hope--”

“I didn’t want to get stuck in the pit with _you_ of all people, okay?” Hope lashed out. Ryan flinched back. “I was supposed to die and so was Malivore and all that was in it. But I’m not dead and I know there’s nothing waiting for me up there, but I need to get out of here. I can’t be stuck in here for much longer.” 

_I don’t want to be stuck with you of all people._

Ryan looked away. “We’ll get out,” was all he could say. It wasn’t much comfort, but maybe this was, “Then you’ll never have to see me or Malivore again.”

They heard a strange swoosh of wings and then a sharp cackle in the air. Ryan and Hope both tensed, looking above for whatever monsters had decided to make an appearance. “Dinner!” the creature laughed. Ryan noticed the woman’s head atop a large bird’s body.

“It’s a Harpy,” he told her.

“I can see that,” Hope bit out. “How do we kill it?”

“Burning it will--” Before he could finish, Hope clenched her fist in front of her and Ryan was forced to watch as the bird’s body caught flame. The Harpy cried as it fell, dissolving to ash. Hope glared at the blistering corpse. “That was…fast,” Ryan said.

“Let’s get out of here,” was all she said.

Ryan was just glad that she hadn’t burned _him_ to a crisp.

* * *

**_Ryan’s Apartment…_ **

About five days after eating the black magic from Josie Saltzman, Ryan woke up to someone banging on his door. His neck was stiff as he cracked it, but he was glad that he’d been smart enough to get into bed before he died. He was atop the cover and his shoes were still on, but it was better than waking up on the kitchen floor. Ryan kicked off his shoes and yawned. The banging on his door continued. Right.

Ryan got up slowly, heading for the door. He rubbed his eyes as he went, cringing at the bright light outside. He glanced in the peephole of his door before opening it up to one Lizzie Saltzman. “Can I help you?” he asked tiredly.

“Deputy Agent Ryan Clarke,” Lizzie said confidently, pushing him aside and waltzing into his apartment.

The sheer volume of her voice distracted him from her words. When it clicked, he shut the door behind her in surprise. “You remember,” he said.

“Yes,” she agreed. “I told Hope all about it. We think the dark magic in Josie’s spell knocked everything loose.”

“So Hope knows.” Ryan put a hand over his stomach, the hunger gnawing at him. He needed to eat, soon, or else he’d pass out again.

“Yes, Hope knows.” Lizzie watched him curiously as he moved to the kitchen and pulled out his take-out. “What _I_ want to know is how _you_ became a good guy.”

Ryan placed the lo mein in the microwave. He ate a piece of sesame chicken as he answered with a, “I’m not a good guy.”

“Um, you kept Josie from getting infected with black magic. I’m pretty sure that makes you a good guy.”

“I did that for Hope,” Ryan said.

“So you’re friends with Hope then. Since _when_?” Lizzie asked. “Last time I checked, you worked with Triad Industries and wanted to raise your mud dad from the pit. You were evil incarnate!”

Ryan squinted. If he was evil incarnate, why would Lizzie Saltzman willingly go into his apartment. “Why are you here?” he asked. The microwave dinged and he popped the lid of the plastic container, devouring as much steamy lo mein as possible, ignoring the burning of his tongue. 

Lizzie grimaced as she watched him inhale his food. “Gross. Anyway, I wanted to know why you’re here. You escaped the pit. Hope told me you two worked _together_. You’re free, but you’re still in town!”

“I’m helping Hope,” he said.

“Does Hope know that?” Lizzie asked. “Also, are you going to heat up those spring rolls?”

Ryan rolled his eyes and put them in the microwave for her. “I thought Hope understood that because I helped her out with the Shunka and the Oni. I also taught her how to kill that Cyclops. I thought it was obvious.” 

“Which still begs the question,” Lizzie said, “why are you helping us?”

“Not ‘us,’ I’m helping Hope. I couldn’t get a damn about the rest of you.”

“You’re not answering the question!” Lizzie shouted. “Stop being snakish and tell me what’s up with you two. Hope wouldn’t give me any details, but something had to have happened if you’re still here.”

“Not much to tell.” Ryan lied. “I want Malivore dead too. And Hope can’t do that if she’s too busy defending my stupid brother from dad’s monsters.”

Lizzie started eating her spring roll. She leaned against the wall and regarded him with curiosity. “There’s more to it,” she decided.

Ryan sighed.

“What!” Lizzie proclaimed, “Something must’ve happened into that pit. Did she save your life or something? Do you feel indebted to her? I didn’t take you for the ‘I return the favor’ kind of guy. Or, wait,” Lizzie’s eyes bugged out of her skull. “Are you two actually friends or something?”

Ryan crossed his arms. “As a matter of fact, yes. Not that it’s any of your business, but Hope and I have an understanding.” And a bond, both figuratively and literally. Although, now that Ryan thought about it, he couldn’t feel much of the bond anymore.

“Who knew Malivore made unbreakable friendships,” Lizzie scoffed.

“So was this why you came here?” Ryan asked. “To see where I stood and eat my food?”

“Well, I did want to--begrudgingly, I might add because we are still foes--thank you for eating the dark magic from Josie. Who knows what could’ve happened if she kept that all in.”

“I won’t be doing it again, anytime soon,” Ryan told her. “I spent the last couple days wiped out.”

“Well, I wanted to know if you had any idea of how to return everyone else’s memories?” Lizzie asked.

Ryan frowned as he thought about it. “If Josie’s use of black magic is what made you remember than the spell, if there is a spell, to reverse the effects would be black magic too. It would be an old spell, rarely used. Would need to wipe out the effects of dark magic in others. It’d be a huge magical load.”

“But do you know what it could be?” Lizzie questioned, eagerness in her voice. “As much as I like Hope, I can’t be one of the _only_ people that remembers her. Too many inside jokes I’d have to explain. Jo’s already getting a little suspicious of me.”

“I’m not exactly a witch’s encyclopedia, and even if I did…” Ryan trailed off.

“What? Finish that sentence.” Lizzie glared at him. Ryan stared at the kitchen tile. “You wouldn’t help us,” Lizzie guessed. “Why? Is it another trick of yours? Why wouldn’t you want anyone to remember Hope, is it because--” 

Ryan felt his cheeks heat up.

Lizzie made a surprised sound. “ _You_ want to be the only one that remembers her. Do you like her or something?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryan growled. “I’m sure you and the Salvatore School will figure out how to bring back everyone’s happy little memories.”

“This is rich,” Lizzie snickered. “She’s dating your brother!”

“You think I don’t already know that?” Ryan snarled. 

Lizzie raised her hands defensively. “Okay Romeo, I’ll give it a rest.” She smirked evilly. “For _now_.” 

Ryan hadn’t realized that helping the Saltzman twins would mean gaining a pest. He should’ve kept walking with his Chinese that night. All teenagers did was steal his food and poke holes at him.

Lizzie finished her spring roll and leveled with him again. “So you haven’t got any muddy ideas on what kind of spell to use? You can’t draw out the Malivore effects can you?”

“I can’t.” He’d tried it once with one of his old partners, out of curiosity, but with no real impact. After a couple days of hand-holding or hugging to make it work, rumors of homosexuality had pervaded the office. His partner, not wanting to be attached to the nasty monikers, transferred to a division in California to get away. At the time Ryan had found it annoying and stupid, but he hadn’t tried it since. Ryan wasn’t going to start holding hands with any of the other supernaturals in the area. Hope remembered him, and he had no desire to help Landon or his friends anytime soon. “I believe Hope has more magical connections than I do. Perhaps she is better suited for relaying information.”

“I’ll pass it on,” Lizzie said. “Thanks Clarke.”

He failed to subdue his smile.

* * *

**_The Edge of the Dead Forest…_ **

“Are you still mad at me?” Ryan asked. He could see the beginnings of the next zone, sand mixing in with the grass.

“I’m not mad,” is all she had to say, but the grip on her knife told him otherwise.

“Do I need to say I’m sorry?” he asked. He didn't even know why he was bothering. It wasn’t like he _cared_ what Hope thought of him.

“Why would I care about your apologies?” she sniffed. He didn’t like the sting in his chest. “I just want to get this over with.”

“We’re almost out of the dead forest,” he offered. “That just leaves the purple arches and the empty sea.”

“Did you come up with those names yourself?” she scoffed. “You sound like a third grader.”

Ryan shrugged, no use in denying it. 

“How much longer do you think we’ll be in Malivore?” she asked, strain in her voice.

Ryan would be offended if he wasn’t already. “I just told you: two more zones. The empty sea is smaller than the others, think of it like the pupil of the eye. We’re in the sclera, about to reach the iris.”

“Are you saying we’re on one of Malivore’s _eyes_?” Hope scoffed. “How big is this place?”

“It’s just a metaphor,” Ryan told her. “The void was the outer parts of Malivore’s domain. And I already told you this is a maze, a moving maze I might add, nothing like an eye.”

“It doesn’t feel like it’s moving.”

It was, no doubt about it. Maybe not as much on their path, but outside of it, Malivore was constantly changing. It did this so that it was impossible for the everyday monster to escape the pit. The last time Ryan had followed the path, he hadn’t run into monsters as much. The most he had to deal with were dubious cyclops, angry sirens, and vengeful ghouls. Ryan figured that Hope’s use of magic attracted more monsters to their path. It might have also been the influence of father, trying to stop them from achieving their goal.

_SWOOSH!_

“What was that?” Hope said.

Ryan looked around the pine clearing. Then he looked above. In the shadows, he saw something streak through the trees. They both tensed. Whatever it was, it hissed in the darkness, and made the tops of the trees break from the heaviness of the beast. 

“Harpy?” Hope guessed.

“It sounds much larger,” Ryan whispered. “Dragon?”

Before either of them could speak again, the monster darted through the trees to strike at them. Ryan and Hope both lunged to the ground to keep away from the animal’s strike. The monster let out another sound, something close to a bird’s call. Not a dragon then. They lay on their stomachs for a moment before Ryan got back to his feet. He looked around wildly, trying to spot the damn thing. If he could see it, then maybe he’d be able to identify it for Hope.

Just as he was looking from where they came from, the monster darted for Hope. Ryan barely had a moment to react, much less listen to Hope’s scream before he pushed her out of the way into the direct path of a gigantic blue and yellow snake with even larger wings. The snake monster lashed out, it’s mouth parting to reveal gigantic fangs, before it tried to bite off his head. Ryan cried out as he was knocked to the ground, his cheek scraped by the fangs of the monster. The serpent warped around his body, punching him with the whack of its feathery tale or the butt of its head. Ryan felt each blow, as well as the venom in his cheek. He could feel the dangerous bite start to take hold in his veins. He had no idea how long he had until he’d succumb to the venom, but he knew he couldn’t let Hope suffer the same.

Ryan crawled to his feet. He tried tugging at the creature. His mind, half-delirious already, supplied him with a name: Peuchen. Medicine women were known to prevent these beasts, but he couldn’t remember how else to defeat it. 

Suddenly the serpent caught flame and it hissed as it unraveled from Ryan, darting up to the treeline for safety. He saw Hope on the other side, fear and worry streaked her face. They stumbled closer to each other. He checked her over for damage. He couldn’t let her die, not now. “Did it bite you?” he demanded. He couldn’t see anything, but he had to be sure.

“No, I’m fine, Clarke,” she placated. “Are you?”

“I was bit,” he said. “I’ll be dead soon. Listen, it’s a Peuchen. I’m not sure how to stop it, but fire or cutting off its head…” He shrugged. Half his face started to droop. Paralysis. Fantastic. “Hope, I--” his voice started to droop, unable to get the words fully out.

“Clarke?” Hope shook him, trying to jostle him into coherency. “Clarke?” 

He had never hated the sound of his own name before. Clarke, Clarke, Agent Clarke, he was _Ryan_.

The sound of the Peuchen echoed in the trees again. Worse, he heard the sound of another creature running along the forest floor. Ryan felt his knees buckle. Hope was still calling his name, but he could barely hear her. He couldn’t die now. She needed his help. The Peuchen was still alive and there was another monster on the ground. It was moments like these that he wished he was a healer, but he wasn’t. He was a Golem. A stupid, useless, _worthless_ Golem. He pushed Hope away from him as he crumbled to the ground. He pointed in the direction of the next zone. She needed to run, to hide! She couldn’t do that here, but she could in the purple arches. 

As his vision darkened, he saw Hope stand up. She conjured fire in one hand and tightened her knife in the other. She had a fighting chance at least. And then he saw the other monster that was coming for them. It almost looked like a dangerous black fox… 

* * *

**_Mystic Falls…_ **

Ryan walked along the town square, needing to stretch his legs after the last four hours of research. He’d gotten two thirds through his books, even the new ones Florence stopped by with (in exchange for more money and blood of course) but the subject of closing Malivore for good was still elusive to him. If Ryan was going to destroy his father he’d need a witch and a powerful one too. Actually, the more he thought about it, a group of witches would be better. Hope and Saltzman twins could be very useful but definitely not enough.

As he passed the clothing boutique and the apothecary, Ryan contemplated stepping inside the bakery. Ryan was a sucker for pastries, especially raspberry treats. He wondered what kind of desserts Hope enjoyed. Ryan imagines sharing a croissant with her over coffee or at his apartment before he shut those thoughts down. It was pointless to imagine the impossible.

Just then, Ryan found himself stopping outside of a pet shop. In the window he saw a cluster of puppies bumping into each other. He was reminded of Malivore in that moment. Sadness poured through him as he watched the puppies play. He wanted the comfort that those creatures could provide.

He was glad that the spell between him and Hope had broken. It must’ve been from when he died. He almost wished they could still feel each other, because without that bonding spell, without Hope’s presence within him, he felt nothing grounding him here in Mystic Falls but his own sense of duty. But, Ryan was also relieved that their bond was broken as it meant she didn’t have to feel his sadness as he gazed upon a window of playful puppies.

She was free of him and the pain that went with it.

* * *

**_The Edge of the Dead Forest…_ **

When he woke up, it was with something heavy resting on his chest. He opened his eyes blearily and then froze at the orange eyes staring back at him. It was the fox, from before, now resting on him. He tensed, fearing that it was waiting for him to wake up just to kill him again. Ryan looked around, trying not to move too much, but needing to know where Hope was. Was she dead? Did she leave him here? Was she okay?

“It’s okay,” he heard her voice.

He let out a sigh.

“I’m here,” she said, coming into his vision. 

He looked her over, noting the lack of cuts or bruises or harm to her face and clothes. She was okay then. Was this real? He glanced at the creature on his chest. “Why is it…?”

“Oh!” Hope patted the head of the creature and it rolled off his chest, much to his surprise. The creature sat down beside Hope, receiving more pets. “Don’t worry, it’s just a Woxler.”

Ryan sat up, feeling loose. “A Woxler?” He had no idea what that was, much less how _she_ knew a creature that he didn’t.

“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about them. They’re healers. This little guy fixed you up.”

The Woxler looked a lot like a maned wolf, with long legs and a fox-wolf hybrid of a face. But it’s fur was primarily black and it’s eyes glowed orange. It’s teeth made Ryan worry, but then it’s tongue lulled to the side, making it look deceptively cute. But it seemed to like whatever pets Hope gave it. It was funny to Ryan how she seemed to attract the affections of many dog creatures she came across. First the Cerberus, now the Woxler, soon she’d have her own pack of wolves. “How do you know about these...Woxlers, and why haven’t I?” he asked.

Hope snorted. “You know everything there is about _monsters_.” Which wasn’t true, but he’d hold his tongue for now. “I did research after the first time I went to Triad. Someone went into the pit, but only I seemed to remember.” Hope sighed. “I tried to see if there was any way or any creature that could bring back everyone else’s memories. Woxlers were known to heal strange afflictions, they feed off of sickness, so I thought finding one would be useful, but their whereabouts were unknown.” Hope cooed at the little creature, “But I guess you were down here, weren’t you? Weren’t you?”

The Woxler made a little noise and licked at Hope’s cheek. Then it looked at him with those orange eyes. Even though it wasn't actively attacking them now, and even if it did heal him, that didn’t mean they could trust it. “How long was I out?” Had it been days? A week? How many monsters got to them in that time?

“An hour,” Hope told him. 

His brow raised, looking at the Woxler more closely. It looked like it was trying to give him the puppy dog eyes. “Impressive.” 

Poisonings usually got him for a day or two. Different deaths had different recovery times. Single blows to the head, heart, or throat usually had him down for half an hour. Poisons or deaths that blistered in his system, could keep him out for up to a week. Blood loss was usually the most annoying for him.

Ryan got to his feet, as did Hope and the Woxler. “Well, we should get going soon,” he said. “Part ways before any more monsters come.”

“Part ways?” Hope raised a brow and the Woxler shifted closer to her. “So you’re just going to send him off? After he helped us?”

“We’re not keeping him,” Ryan said. 

“And why not?”

“We already attract enough attention as it is, Hope,” he reasoned. “We can’t risk drawing more monsters.”

“But he’s a healer, he could be really useful, both in Malivore and when we get _out_.” Hope put her foot down. “Foxy’s coming with us.”

The Woxler nodded.

Ryan snorted. “Foxy? If you’re going to name him, then at least name it something respectable.”

“Shadow, then.”

“We might as well call it Landon.” Ryan smirked.

Hope glared. “We are _not_ calling him that.”

“Okay, what about Rafael,” Ryan suggested. “It means healer. Or maybe Kaleb, which means bold and brave.”

Hope pinched the bridge of her nose, saying, “Can you stop trying to name the Woxler after my friends?”

“I’m sorry,” Ryan snickered, “but I didn’t know your friends' names. Do you have a better suggestion? And don’t call him Buddy.” 

Hope took a moment to look down at the Woxler. The two wolves shared a moment, and Ryan could only try to guess what was said between them. “What about Vali,” Hope suggested softly. “It’s Norse for powerful and strong.”

Ryan stared at the Woxler, who sat patiently before them, it’s head tilted in interest. Hope stood beside him, waiting for his judgement. Vali. The Woxler didn’t look like a Vali, but it fit just the same. “Fine,” he decided, “we’ll name him Vali.”

“So we can keep him?” Hope asked, batting her eyelashes.

He couldn’t resist the hopeful look in her eyes. “For now,” he said. “But if he does anything dangerous, I won’t hesitate.”

Hope smiled brightly at him and even the Woxler wagged its tail.

He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the sight of her smile. He hoped he never had to. Ryan cleared his throat. “We should get going. We’re almost out of the dead forest.” He started walking and Hope and the Woxler followed. The Woxler walked between him and Hope, which annoyed him, but he wasn’t sure why. When they finally passed the last of the dead trees and into the barren sandscape, Ryan felt some relief. 

Two zones down, two more to go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for joining me in chapter two of this adventure! I'm so glad Ryan and Hope got out of the Dead Forest relatively safe. A note about the creatures they met in this chapter:  
> I completely made up Vali the Woxler (wolf, fox, healer,) but he is a SWEETIEEEEEEEEE  
> Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory. In this story, I imagine that she feeds off people's memories (for the worse) and that Hope chopped her head off to be cool!  
> The Harpy was just like; fuck it, let's killa ya  
> And the peuchen is a south american creature that's supposed to be stopped with the aid of a medicine woman. I think Vali does a good job at that! :D
> 
> Also Gary was TOTALLY a father figure to Ryan :(


	3. Venite Igitur (Let’s Go)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Malivore:  
> Vali turns out to be very valuable, Ryan and Hope become friends, and Prince Ryan sees true beauty and is overwhelmed with love.
> 
> In Mystic Falls:  
> Ryan helps out with the Croatoan, has to deal with family, adjusts to having Lizzie in his corner, and gets a holiday surprise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so it took me so long to upload this chapter because i didn't want to upload until i had most of the story done. I only have two scenes left to write and then the chapters will be uploaded much quicker! i wrote the first forty thousand words in like a week, but then I fizzled out for these last twenty thousand words. chapter five and six especially had me pausing because they had a different style, and you will SEE WHY!!! my goal is to have this finished and mostly uploaded before i go back to school on sunday, so fingers crossed!!! :D

**_The Purple Arches…_ **

Ryan hated to admit that the Woxler was proving to be a useful companion. Ryan thought that after their first meeting, Vali would spend all of his time circling Hope in protection, but the creature often brushed its head comfortingly against Ryan’s side as they walked through the desert. Ryan would never tell Hope this, but Vali eased him where he hadn’t before. And with that ease, it became easier to talk with Hope. He felt more comfortable telling her stories about his time at Triad, and about his vampire acquaintance, Florence. In return, Hope told him about how her and her friends defeated different monsters at school and a few stories about living in New Orleans. It wasn’t that she was hiding from him, but Hope didn’t seem to want to talk about her family history, too painful to really recount it. Ryan could understand, mostly because of the rumors he’d heard over the years.

He wasn’t planning to ever tell Hope this, but he had met one of Hope’s uncles many centuries ago. Kol Mikaelson probably didn’t remember the time he drained Ryan, nor how he drained all of his blood at a Venetian masked ball. By the time Ryan woke up from the incident, Kol had long gone, and Ryan’s body had been thrown in a mass grave. It had taken him days to get out of there, which had been more tedious than the rest of his predicament.

In the purple arches, there were more monsters than in the other zones. This zone consisted of dusky sand that stretched on for miles, but was also greeted with hundreds of rock formations in the form of arches. There were sometimes caves, which were perfect for hiding monsters. Ryan didn’t like being out in the open in the desert, but he knew entering one of the caves was assured death. He liked the arches well enough, but felt bad for any water-based creature that found itself trapped in the desert. There were, of course, water veins throughout Malivore, but the need to eat and drink disappeared in this space, and going to one of the water outlets was assured death. It was better for them to ignore any temptation of water, even if it would be nice to have some sort of wash.

Any water monster that tried to escape Malivore would need to cross through the desert zone, and many shriveled up before they made it to the edge. Ryan and Hope had to hide from a group of mermaids that dragged themselves through the ground, howling for water, peace of mind, blood even to satiate their thirst. Sometimes Vali would duck out and lick the head of one of these creatures, notably a Selkie, before darting away. Hope had been asleep at the time, but Ryan saw the sluggishness of the creature disappear. The Selkie went away before Ryan needed to attack it.

Vali’s presence seemed to heal many afflictions, which came in handy after they fought another set of trolls. After a long day of following his father’s glowing path, they came across a Serpopard and barely made it out alive. Ryan had taken the brunt of the creature’s attack, the serpent leopard tearing out his heart then throat before Hope managed to cut off its head. Vali licked his skin and curled up beside him, speeding his recovery. Hope also sat beside him in times like this. She didn’t say much, but she still made him feel better.

“I never said it before,” she murmured, late one evening, “but I meant to say thank you.”

Ryan ran his hands through the soft fur upon Vali’s back. “For what?”

“You took that Peuchen bite for me,” she said. 

He didn’t look at her as he spoke, “I couldn’t let it kill you.” 

“You know I would’ve come back, right?” Hope told him, “I’m part vampire, I would’ve been fine.”

“I didn’t think you wanted to turn so young,” he said. They had never discussed it before, why would they, but if he had the time to choose when to become immortal, at what age to look like forever, he would’ve gone for something young, but not too young. Ryan was stuck looking twenty-four or thirty years old. He didn’t mind it, except when someone mistook him for a teenager when his hair grew out, but that would’ve been his preferred appearance. He figured Hope would be the same.

“I didn’t,” she agreed, “so thank you.”

Ryan shrugged, “It was of no conciliation to me.”

“Just take the thank you,” Hope chuckled. “It looks like we do make a team, Clarke.”

“Ryan,” he said.

“What?” 

“You should call me Ryan,” he offered. “If we’re going to be partners and all.”

Hope thought it over for a moment, before nodding. “Okay, Ryan.”

He smiled and then she was smiling too.

* * *

**_Commonwealth Day, Mystic Falls…_ **

Ryan found most holidays pointless and without meaning. He thought it strange that Mystic Falls, a town in Virginia was celebrating a _British_ holiday, but then again, Ryan was around during the formation of different countries and governments. He didn’t have much opinion about them besides finding many of them inadequate. Still, Mystic Falls was the sort of town that thrived from putting on various events, even silly Commonwealth Day celebrations. Ryan spent much of the day trying to dodge pilgrim dressed children and farm fresh egg sales.

After his confrontation with the Saltzman sister, Lizzie had insisted on programming her number into his phone, as well as Hope’s. He hadn’t responded to or instigated any of the messages, but Lizzie felt that it was her due diligence to keep him updated on the monsters in town. When Ryan came across a familiar being, he’d forward his information to Hope, but they didn’t speak otherwise. It seemed that Hope was feeling just as awkward about talking to him as he was to her ever since the bond had broken. Ryan wished he knew how friends texted each other, but he didn’t.

**_Lizzie:_ **

_hey, mud man, u kno anything about croatans?_

**_Lizzie:_ **

_Kym thinks they’re attracted to secrets, u got any juicy ones? bc it REALLY wants to eat me and Hope!_

**_Lizzie:_ **

_Agent Mud, we rlly got a situation over here!!!!_

Ryan glared at his phone and unlocked it, pressing the call button before he could stop himself.

 _“Why can’t you answer a text like a normal person?”_ Lizzie asked him over the line. She sounded out of breath, like she was running from something. He could also hear someone else’s voice in the background.

“Is Hope with you?” he asked.

 _“Hope!”_ Lizzie called out. _“Your boyfriend’s asking for you!”_

Ryan felt his cheeks heat up.

 _“He’s not my boyfriend, Lizzie!”_ Hope shouted angrily.

His mood soured. “Saltzman, I didn’t answer the phone to be made fun of. Tell me what’s going on?”

_“Well, we’re currently being chased by a weird plague doctor kind of thing called a Croatoan and it really wants to eat Hope and I’s faces because we have a huge big secret and I really think it’s unfair that you haven’t been attacked by this thing because you totally have more secrets than us but still.”_

“Have you tried telling the Croatoan your secret?” Ryan suggested. “Why should it matter.”

 _“When you put it like that--ew!”_ Lizzie screamed. Ryan couldn’t imagine what they were facing, but it didn’t sound pleasant. _“Hope and I tried telling it other secrets, but telling it that I killed her hamster didn’t change a thing.”_

“Yes, but telling the Croatoan the Malivore secret doesn’t mean everyone remembers our past. Just tell it your secret and be done with it. If Hope is so worried that her precious Landon will hear her, go somewhere more isolated like the gym or the forest. Now as for stopping it…” Ryan sighed. “I’ve never had to face one, so I don’t know.”

 _“You are just as useful as mud!”_ Lizzie cried. Before Ryan could bicker with her, she went, _“Jo?”_ Then silence. 

Their call was still connected, but he couldn’t hear anything. “What’s happening?” he asked. “Is Hope okay?” Just then, a swarm of black and purple magic swept through the town. Ryan didn’t have a moment to worry about it before it passed through him and beyond. He didn’t feel any different though. “Lizzie, what is going on?”

 _“Hope’s fine,”_ Lizzie said. _“I’m fine by the way, thanks for asking. I think Josie did some kind of memory spell? The Croatoan left, but we’re pretty sure it’s going after Landon. Hope’s going to rescue him, but I doubt you’ll come and help?”_

Ryan snorted. “Absolutely not.”

 _“Figures.”_ Lizzie chuckled. _“Are you coming to the Commonwealth thing?”_

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

 _“You should go,”_ Lizzie suggested. _“I know Hope will be there.”_

“I will take it under advisement,” was all he said.

Lizzie snored again and said, _“Okay Mudmeo, see you there.”_ And then hung up on him.

Ryan looked at his phone and scowled.

* * *

**_The Purple Arches…_ **

“Ryan!” Hope screamed from the cave. “Get out of the way!” Just then, a blaze of fire struck the arch he was hiding under. The arch crumbled around him and he felt a wisp of a burn at his face.

“Get back inside!” he shouted back.

The Cherufe swung its arm of fire again. Vali howled beside Hope. 

“We can’t stop it!” she yelled. “Just get in here and we’ll wait it out!”

“Fine!” he growled. He’d been trying to throw one of the rocks at the Cherufe’s eyes, but the fire monster barely reacted. They’d been fighting this thing for hours with little luck. Hope had tried to pour water and air atop the thing, but it easily reignited. For some reason it couldn’t burn through rock, although its fists did shake the earth. 

Ryan hadn’t wanted to go into one of the rock dens, fearing whatever creature hid inside there, but they didn’t have any other choice. Ryan’s shirt was ripped to shreds, part of his eyebrow singed off, and Hope had burned half her cheek that wasn’t healing any time soon. Ryan ran for the cave opening, the Cherufe slow behind him. He skid past Hope and looked out at the desert. Hope said something in Latin, her hands making complicated gestures before the rocks caved in. She said another spell and the rocks solidified into an impenetrable wall. Ryan could hear the Cherufe snarling from the other side, its fists banging against the rock, but nothing it did could break Hope’s spell.

The three of them panted in the dark cave. Ryan was still tense. There could be something in here. Vali nudged against Ryan’s hip, healing him, but he pointed at Hope. “Go help her, she needs it more.”

Vali looked like he disagreed, but he did as Ryan said, licking Hope’s face when she sat down on the cave floor. 

Ryan started to scope out the space. “I should go see if there’s something in here,” Ryan said. “I don’t want us to be trapped in here.”

\- - -

**_Mystic Falls Town Square…_ **

Despite his vow to not bother Hope or spend more than ten minutes in her presence, or even better, not go to the evening celebrations, Ryan still found himself wandering through town square later that evening. Many of the townsfolk were laughing and playing, enjoying the festivities. Corn, pilgrim clothes, and lit candles filled the space. Ryan felt a little out of place in his state of dress. He’d spent the better part of a century wearing suits and although they weren’t exactly comfortable, they were familiar to him. It did make him stand out, especially now.

He spotted the Saltzman twins among their friends. Lizzie hadn’t noticed him, but the other one, Josie, had caught his eye for a moment. She looked exhausted and Ryan could sense the dark magic in the air. The memory spell she used must’ve been extensive, he’d need to eat it from her later. Ryan saw some more of Hope’s friends, as well as Principal Saltzman chatting with the sheriff and mayor. When Ryan noticed his dweeb of a brother, he was struck with his annoyance and dread, but escaped from his field of vision before Landon could see him. 

He eventually found Hope, sitting with a blonde woman at the end of one table. He didn’t want to interrupt because they looked like they were in a very serious conversation, but the woman left after a moment to get them drinks. Ryan saw this as a good moment as any to say hello. If Hope didn’t want to speak to him, he could go when the woman returned.

“So,” he drawled, “I guess it all worked out then.”

Hope looked up. “Ryan! You’re here.”

“I was in the neighborhood…” Ryan pointed at a chair against his own wishes. “Can I take a seat?”

“Sure, my aunt’s sitting in this chair,” she gestured to the seat next to her, “but you can sit in that one. Totally. Go ahead.” She looked awkward, which surprised him, but he did as she said, sitting down.

“So,” he cleared his throat, “all your friends remember you now.”

“Yeah…”

“And do they still love the great Hope Mikaelson?” he asked. 

“Everything’s as it should be,” she answered. 

He saw her looking across the place. He glanced over and saw her watching Landon. “Ah,” he murmured. Now that Landon had his memories again, he and Hope must be back together. Regret and sadness mingled through him, but Ryan wouldn’t burden Hope with his silly inclinations. Instead, he gestured to the twins. “I believe that one had to use black magic to achieve this. I suppose I’ll need to draw it from her.”

“Won’t you die for a couple of days?” Hope asked, 

Ryan shrugged. “Death for beings like us doesn’t last long. I don’t mind.”

“You know, Josie’s really grateful for what you did,” Hope said. “She’s a little weirded out now, because she remembers you’re Agent Clarke, but she’s still thankful. I’m surprised Lizzie took it so well.”

“Lizzie is…” Ryan struggled to find the right word. “Peculiar.”

Hope laughed. 

“Hope?” a woman interrupted. Ryan looked up and saw that it was the same blonde woman from before. This must’ve been Hope’s aunt. The woman placed their drinks on the table.

“Aunt Freya,” Hope said, “this is Ryan.”

Freya sat down besides Hope. “Is this the guy you went through Malivore with?”

“Yes, Ryan Clarke,” he introduced. He offered his hand and Freya shook it. “I was trying to catch up with Hope. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can go.”

“Oh, I think you’re perfectly fine right here,” Freya declared. “You are Hope’s friend after all. Thank you for helping her get out of Malivore.”

It felt strange to be thanked, especially by Hope’s aunt. He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from telling Freya that Ryan was the reason she’d ended up in Malivore in the first place. “More like Hope got me out of Malivore,” he said instead. “She did most of the fighting.”

Hope blushed at the mention. He was about to mention more of Hope’s heroics, like the time she defeated dragons or the Gorgon, but Freya cradled her niece in a hug, saying, “That’s the Mikaelson spirit.” Hope grinned. Freya kissed Hope on the cheek and suggested, “Hope, why don’t you go get your friend Ryan a drink.”

“Uh, sure.”

“I’m not thirsty,” Ryan said, not wanting Hope to leave.

Hope looked caught between the two of them. Freya gave her some kind of look and Hope agreed, getting up and leaving him. Ryan tensed in his chair, waiting for Freya to speak. The witch leveled with him.

“I know exactly who you are, Agent Clarke,” Freya said, a dangerous edge in her voice. “You’re Malivore’s son.”

“I am.”

“You helped trap him the first time, then release him again,” she laid out his charges. “What I want to know is what you want now and what that means for my niece.”

Ryan leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. “I want what you want,” he said confidently.

Freya raised a brow. “Which is?”

“Malivore gone. For good.” Ryan grimaced as he thought of his father. “I’ve tried to research a solution for some time with little luck. I think a solution might be achieved with the help of a witch, or a couple dozen.”

“So you want my help,” Freya said.

“If you’re offering it.”

“I want to see your research.”

“I have it here,” he told her. “Most of it looked useless, but I can send it to you, if you’d like. You New Orleans witches practice a different breed of magic.”

Freya hummed in agreement. “Hope told me that you could eat black magic,” Freya mentioned. “We might need you for whatever spell we use.”

“I don’t mind.”

“It might be permanent.”

“I don’t mind,” he repeated.

Freya searched his face, trying to understand him. “Do you care about Hope?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Malivore from hurting her again.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“What I feel for your niece really doesn’t matter,” Ryan said. “I promised her something when I was down there. I won’t break that promise.” Ryan stood up and buttoned his jacket. “It was nice meeting you, Freya.”

“You too, Clarke,” she even sounded like she meant it.

“Tell Hope she knows where to find me.”

“I will.”

And he believed her.

* * *

**_Malivorian Ballroom…_ **

Prince Ryan stood at the edge of the room with his goblet of mead and wondered if it would be better to leave now or in three-quarters of an hour. He didn’t want to be seen as rude to the English diplomats, but he had no desire to stand by his father all night or dance with any of the ladies at present. None suited his fancy, although he wished one would. The sooner he married, the sooner he could produce an heir, and with it, lose his father’s ire. Although, if Prince Ryan was honest with himself, he did not wish to produce an heir with just anyone, he wanted to feel the tender affection and love of another. Perhaps, he could go overseas to Rome and run away to the shore. Shed his blue suits for something more peasant. Maybe then he could be properly forgotten and free.

His Majesty was contemplating whether or not he could become a successful wine importer or sheep farmer, when the hall doors opened and in stepped the most beautiful woman Ryan had ever seen before.

Her skin radiated in pale warmth, like the allure of the twilight moon. Her hair was delicately drawn behind her hair, but it did not hide the glorious red color. Strong viking heritage sculpted among her face and body. And her dress was just as fanciful as the rest of her. Most ladies here wore emerald green or wine red gowns, as it was the custom of the Irish, but she wore a dress of lemon sugar, as if she was a spring day. The tulle of her dress flowed like a waterfall down her skirt. Her shoulders were bare of any cloth, drawing the eye of any suitor to her forbidden shoulders. Prince Ryan had to look away lest he make a fool of himself, only to get caught on the delicate nature of her sleeves, which pooled in a translucent blue fabric (to match her eyes of course) down her arm to cinch at her wrists. She looked, if nothing else, like a breath of fresh air and she called to him like the warmth of his nightly candles.

He placed his goblet down and found himself drawn to her figure, bowing to her as if she was _his_ queen, although he already suspected she _was_. Whoever this woman was, he would gladly fight wars for or give up his crown for. She may ask anything of him and he would deliver it to her.

“Prince Ryan,” she greeted, voice sweet like honeysuckles, “it is an honor to meet you.”

“The joy is all mine,” he returned. “I am ashamed to say that I do not know your name, fair maiden. May I inquire as to who this lovely creature is before me?” 

“An Irish prince,” she laughed, “and you cannot recognize Clíodhna when she is standing before you. Shall we dance?”

He paused, the name ringing familiar to him, and decided taking her arm was in his best interest. A rush of warmth spread through him and he felt ready to dance eons with her. “Strange,” he murmured as they began their act, “I find that your name does not match your face.”

“It is because I have borrowed it from another,” Clíodhna confided. “A maiden by the name of Hope Mikaelson.”

“Well she is a divine being,” Ryan decided. “I wish to meet her one day.”

“You already have,” the woman said. “You see, Prince Ryan, I am the goddess of love and beauty. I wished to know what face you desired so that I may speak to you freely.”

“And what could you possibly ask of me, fair goddess?”

“You, the maiden, and the dog creature, stumbled into my cave. I bid you no harm, but I want to know why you sealed it. You seemed to be in trouble. What were you running from?”

“A Cherufe attacked us,” he explained without understanding his own words. He frowned at himself, but couldn’t help resist her. “We do not know how to defeat it so we are hiding until we can leave.”

“A Cherufe,” Clíodhna hummed. “They only settle once they receive a sacrifice of a maiden.”

“I cannot let Hope die,” he said. He had never met this Hope girl before!

“I know you care for her, little King,” the goddess smiled. “Perhaps I will take her place. Finally I can be with my Ciabhán again.”

“But then _you_ will die!” Prince Ryan cried. He touched the goddess’s face briefly, the tenderness and longing overwhelming him the longer he stared upon her glory. “I cannot allow such beauty to perish!”

“Fear not, my dear,” the goddess said. “I will be reborn again.” 

Before Prince Ryan could protest again, Clíodhna kissed him briefly on the lips. He felt a burning sear through him, pure euphoria and reverie beating in his heart and veins, so that all he felt was his love and devotion to her. 

* * *

**_Ryan’s Apartment…_ **

Ryan grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter, ready to go to the grocery store. He needed to stock up on supplies for the week. He could eat take out only so many times. He had a phone call at four with Freya, which gave him plenty of time to run his errands. Freya wanted to review the books he’d sent her and ask him clarifying questions about his time in Malivore. Ryan had just opened the door to leave when he was met with the worst sight he could ever receive.

His brother.

Landon had been pacing in the hallway, gathering the courage to confront Ryan it seemed. When he saw Ryan, his stupid brother looked like he wanted to deck him. “You!” he snarled. Ryan normally wasn’t one to be intimidated, but he allowed Landon to back him into his apartment. The boy slammed the door shut behind him.

“Did Lizzie tell you where I lived?” Ryan asked. He would need to talk to the twin about boundaries. 

“No Hope did.”

That surprised him. Hope knew where he lived? And yet, she hadn’t visited him. _That_ didn’t surprise him. 

Landon swung a fist.

Ryan ducked out of the way.

Landon tried hitting him in the face.

Ryan blocked him with his arm.

Landon growled and tried to kick him.

Ryan dodged it.

“Just let me punch you, man!” Landon shouted. “You deserve it!”

Ryan stood straight and cocked his head. “You want to prove something?”

“I mean, you fucking kidnapped me, tried to turn me into a meat puppet for Malivore, and manipulated Hope into letting you escape Malivore. And that’s not even mentioning all the awful stuff you did at Triad, which I’m sure you did! So yeah, I think you deserve to be punched in the face.”

“You make…some valid points,” Ryan admitted although he hated to say it. If he ever wanted to stay in Hope’s life, even for just another couple of months, then he would have to be nice to Hope’s _boyfriend_ , even if it was Landon of all people. “But really, let’s not forget that I helped Hope out of Malivore. She couldn’t get out of there without me. And, I helped the Saltzman twins _twice_ now with their little black magic problem,” Ryan reminded him. The second round of that nasty feast had put Ryan on his ass for three days. “I think that puts me in the ‘reasonably helpful’ category.”

“That doesn’t make up for the fact that you tried to kill me, dude!” Landon shouted.

Ryan shrugged. “Why should I care about that?”

Landon tried to hit him again.

“I don’t know what you want from me _little brother_. I have never, and will never like you.”

“And I’ll _never_ trust you,” Landon swore. “I think you’re up to something. I don’t think you’d stick around town if you weren’t trying to help free Malivore again.”

“I don’t want anything to do with our father anymore,” Ryan declared. “I’m here because I want to help Hope de--”

“And that!” Landon exploded. “If I ever see you anywhere _near_ Hope Mikealson, I swear to god, I’ll find a way to kill you for good.”

“Alright.” Ryan scoffed. “Good luck with that.”

This time, when Landon punched him, it landed.

* * *

**_Malivore…_ **

When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the cave. Sitting in front of him was Clíodhna although she looked much different than before. Her only similarity to Hope Mikaelson was the red hair, yet she smiled fondly at him.

“But, you--” Ryan stumbled with his words as she helped him stand.

“I intend to keep my promise,” Clíodhna said. “I do expect you take my vision into consideration, child of Malivore.”

Ryan blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You must know by now that you desire her,” Clíodhna said. “You must tell her so. Love is too precious to allow to pass.”

“Desire doesn’t mean love,” he said, as if he’d known he desired her. Which he _hadn’t_. “And she loves another, my brother.”

“These things work out in the end,” Clíodhna predicted. “You must be willing to bare yourself to it.” Ryan wanted to argue with her more, but the goddess clapped him on the shoulder. “Now, I will help you and your friends on their journey.”

Ryan led her to the front of the cave where Hope and Vali were sitting. Hope stood up in defense. “Who’s this?” she asked.

“Relax,” Ryan said, “she knows how to stop the Cherufe.”

“You were gone for five minutes and you found a magical solution?” Hope said skeptically. She reached for her knife in her pocket.

“We can trust her.”

Vali trotted over to Ryan, bumping his nose into Ryan’s leg before regarding Clíodhna. The goddess got to her knees before the Woxler and Vali immediately started to lick her face. Clíodhna giggled and that settled it: she was the real deal. Hope’s shoulders dropped and she put away her knife.

“So how are you going to stop the Cherufe?” Hope asked.

“A sacrifice is necessary,” Clíodhna said, “but it is worth it. Once you lower the rock barrier, I will satiate the Cherufe’s hunger, giving you plenty of time to escape.”

Hope seemed to struggle with herself as she understood Clíodhna’s words. As the hero type, Hope would never want to let someone die when it could’ve been stopped another way. But he and Hope both knew it would not give up its fight anytime soon. “Are you sure?”

“My dear, there is nothing to live for in this cave,” Clíodhna said. “I will be free soon.”

Hope nodded. 

With a wave of her hands and a murmur of Latin, the rock barrier started to part. Clíodhna gathered up her frock in her hands and headed to the door, but not without pressing a kiss on Ryan’s cheeks. “Remember what I said,” she whispered. Hope looked at them strangely.

“I’ll never forget it,” he promised.

Clíodhna smirked and was on her way, walking out into the desertscape. Ryan and Hope gathered at the opening, watching as she approached the angry Cherufe across the field. And from her lips, Clíodhna let out a gigantic screech, that of a banshee, just before the Cherufe swallowed her whole. Ryan felt his chest tighten at the loss of her, but relieved just the same as the fiery glow of the Cherufe settled into an inactive gray. Satiated. 

Hope opened the barrier of the cave more. “What was that kiss about?” she asked. “Didn’t you meet for five minutes?”

“You were right,” Ryan said, not wanting to tell her the truth, not wanting to look at his desires any longer than he had to, but deciding to discuss a different truth just the same, “about what’s in Malivore. There are some beings that don’t deserve this kind of punishment. If we could free them, I would.”

She looked surprised by this, but secretly pleased.

“It doesn’t change anything though,” Ryan continued. “We have to keep going.”

“Then we should go.”

* * *

**_Mystic Falls Grill…_ **

When Ryan first arrived at the grill, he was intending only to put in an order and leave, but then he spotted Lizzie, Hope, and one of their friends at a table. Before he could turn around and go to the Chinese place instead, he heard Lizzie shout his name across the room. “Clarke!” she cried. “Come eat with us! We just got here!”

Ryan sighed. Then he turned back around and headed over to their table. Hope looked frozen as he contemplated where to sit. The obvious choice was across from her and next to Lizzie, but it still felt like a minefield. Lizzie rolled her eyes and pulled out his chair. Ryan sat down with a weak smile. 

Now there were three teens staring at him. _Kill me._

“Hope,” he greeted, “Lizzie,” he nodded and then turned to their third friend, “and I don’t believe we’ve met, you are?”

“MG,” the guy introduced with a flash of fangs. Ah, vampire then. And a bold one too. Lizzie kicked her friend beneath the table. “Ow, Lizzie!”

“Don’t be mean to Agent Clarke! He’s on our side!” Lizzie hissed.

“Am I?” he said just as MG said,

“Is he?”

The two men stared at each other.

“Okay…” Hope gulped from her iced tea.

“He is,” Lizzie continued, “You are,” she said as she looked at him. “You helped me and Josie twice now. And you had that great suggestion with the Roanoke. Didn’t work, but it was still a _lovely_ try. And besides, you helped Hope all the time down in Malivore.”

“Yeah, let’s not talk about that,” Hope said.

Ryan frowned.

“You know what?” Lizzie said. “MG, I think I left my reading glasses in the car. _We_ should go get them.”

MG squinted. “Reading glasses? Since when do you have--”

Lizzie kicked him under the table again. MG winced at the treatment. Hope’s mouth dropped and Ryan had to cover up his snort. “MG!” Lizzie hissed and nodded at the door. “Help me get my glasses!”

“Alright, alright,” MG said standing up. The pair left quickly, with Lizzie giving him a suggestive look as they walked away.

Hope looked embarrassed, red on her cheeks. He couldn’t deny that he liked it. “Well that was…” Hope decided that was a good time to drink from her cup.

“Amusing? Silly? Completely obvious?” Ryan teased. “Do you have something to tell me, Hope?”

This time she blushed a full red. She coughed and looked away. “So I think we should do the binding spell again,” she said, changing the subject.

Ryan’s brows raised. “Why would you do that?”

Hope shrugged. “I thought it was…useful. You’re not really magic, but elemental magic is a lot easier when we’re tied together.” So she just wanted to use him? “Also, it made it easier to know if you were in danger.” Ah…

“I liked that about it too.” He wished he could help her more, but he wouldn’t unless she asked.

“I wanted to wait until after Josie did the memory spell again to do it, because it broke after you died from it,” she admitted. “So? Thoughts?”

“I don’t know…” Ryan hesitated. He remembered his brother and although he’d already ignored his threats about seeing Hope again, he wouldn’t do something as personal as a binding spell knowing it would cause him more problems with the Salvatore School. “What does your boyfriend think about this?”

“Boyfriend?” Hope’s brow furrowed. “Do you mean Landon?”

“Last time I checked, he was the love of your life.”

Hope looked down at her hands. “I told him to stay with Josie.”

Ryan blinked. “Why? He clearly loves you. And you…”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “It just feels wrong. To be with him. And Josie’s my friend, and they’re happy together. I don’t want to break that up.”

“So you’re sacrificing your happiness for theirs?” Maybe that was a selfish mentality, but still.

“Well, it also just didn’t…feel right, for _me_. I think I’ll always love Landon, but I’m not sure,” she locked eyes with him, “if I’m _in_ love with Landon.”

Ryan felt his heart in his throat. Would it be embarrassing to have a heart attack in the Mystic Falls Grill? “Oh.”

“Yeah, _oh_.” Hope cleared her throat, looking away. “So? Bonding spell? This way I can keep track of you and stuff like that.”

“You know, if you wanted me to be around,” Ryan offered, “you can just ask. I won’t say no.”

“Really?”

Ryan nodded. “And as for the bonding spell, I die way too often for it to last long. Why don’t we table it until we need it.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

Ryan felt something inside of his chest settle. Lizzie and MG waltzed back into the restaurant. Lizzie sat down next to him, a knowing smirk on her face. MG just looked mostly confused. “Lizzie,” Ryan drawled, “wherever are your glasses?”

“Strangest thing,” she said, “I guess MG was right, I never did have glasses. Looks like I really _am_ crazy.”

Hope snorted.

* * *

**_The Edge of the Purple Arches…_ **

“I can’t believe we almost made it,” Hope said as they approached the final zone. The arches had long since faded into desert. They might have already been in the final part of Malivore, but it was hard to judge because Ryan considered the last zone to be just the empty sea. The beach would be a mix of sand and pebbles. There were a few caves, but Ryan hadn’t bothered with exploring last time he’d been here.

“You and me both.”

The last monster they’d come across was a Nian, a flat-faced lion with horns. The Chinese creature was already frightened of Hope because of her red hair and red leather jacket, so all it took was a ring of fire to draw the creature away. The longer they were in Malivore, the easier it became to destroy the creatures. It almost made Ryan worry that Malivore was making it easy for them, just to strike them when they least expected it.

Hope pointed at the distant beam of blue light. “Is that the portal?” she wondered.

“Yes,” he answered. “Don’t let it fool you, it’s tiny, barely the size of a bathroom stall.”

“How did you get to it last time? Did you have to swim it?” 

Ryan shuddered because it wasn’t something he liked to think about.

“Ryan?”

He knew he would have to tell her the truth. If nothing else so that at least _someone_ could know the truth about Malivore. “I did swim it, or some of it, but I hope you never have to.”

“Why? Are there monsters in there?”

Vali whined between them, nudging his head against Ryan’s hip. Ryan smiled briefly and patted the Woxler’s head. “No--well--sort of.” Ryan sighed, remembering it. “The water isn’t normal. Going through it is unimaginable pain. I’d imagine it like wading through the Styx. It brings up your worst memories, makes you feel worthless. Most creatures that make it this far drown before they make it halfway through.”

“What about those that can fly?”

“Father will make it rain, and it’s the same effect,” Ryan explained. 

“So how do people leave then? What does Malivore do?” 

“If he wants you to leave, then he will part the sea and raise a bridge of earth for you. That’s how they escape, and that’s how we’ll escape. No creature can do magic like you do, he won’t be able to stop you.”

“I’ll need more power,” Hope told him, “if I’m going to hold something for that long. I know a…binding spell of sorts. It’ll give me access to your energy and keep us tethered to one another.”

If she brought this up in the dead forest, hell even in the darkness, he would’ve said no. But he knew better, knew Hope better. He trusted her. And he would do anything, _anything_ to help them escape. And after his conversation with Clíodhna, well… Ryan wouldn’t mind being tied to Hope even if for just a moment.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” she looked surprised. “You’re not even a little worried?”

“Going into the water is much worse. I drowned,” Ryan admitted. “Over and over again. It was only after I begged mercy from my father and swore I’d help him, and then died _again_ did he free me. So yeah, I don’t mind.”

She touched his shoulder, comforting him. He smiled weakly at her. Hope returned it in kind, “Thank you, Ryan. We’ll get through this.”

“Promise me, you won’t go in the water,” he murmured. “I don’t want you to ever feel that pain.”

“I won’t,” she agreed. “And I won’t let you go in either.”

Her confidence eased him. In that moment he wanted to hug her, to feel the warmth she exuded. Instead, he allowed the wag of Vali’s tail to keep the smile on his face. 

* * *

**_Ryan’s Apartment…_ **

That morning, Ryan woke up chilly. Strange, temperature usually didn’t affect him so much, maybe he left the A.C. on by accident? He went about his morning routine: brewing coffee, eating his Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and checking his email for updates from Freya. She had decided to consult two witches she knew, named Davina and Vincent, to see what they thought about a spell that big. She said she’d get back to him soon, but that had been over a week ago. 

Ryan heard a crowd of children outside, which he found strange on a Thursday morning. Ryan checked his window only to find snow smattering on the ground. He wasn’t an expert of Virginian weather, but he could’ve sworn this was unusual. His phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. He went over and picked it up. “Hope?”

 _“Ryan, hi,”_ she breathed over the line. _“Would you come to the school? I need your help.”_

“Is it about the snow?” 

_“Yeah, everyone’s gone crazy with the Christmas spirit.”_

“And you want my help?” he asked in surprise. “I know nothing about Christmas.”

 _“Ryan,”_ she said, “ _I_ _need you.”_

He paused, unable to work his mouth for a moment. “Okay, I’ll be right over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so like...a cherufe can only be satiated (for a while) with a sacrifice of a maiden (YIKES!) our irish goddess Cliodhna (she is a banshee, goddess of love and beauty, and was in love with a mortal named Ciabhan. I love her. ALSO, I was REALLY into these theme episodes in the show, so I wanted to carry that over to here with some 50s vibes and masquerade ball vibes.
> 
> also, Vali is a SWEETIE!!! LOVE HIM!!! I totally think Ryan needs therapy, or at least a therapy dog because I think he has very little emotional support and I totally have a head cannon where Vali cares for Ryan like that! AU of an AU where Ryan is a therapy dog person and Hope is his next door neighbor and they body over awkward exchanges (also Ryan knows she's Landon's ex, but she does not know Ryan is Landon's brother and it fuels his anxiety.)


	4. Et Iterum, Ego Perdidi (I’m Lost Again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan gets his Christmas wish, is love struck, and decides it's time to make a move (against Malivore.)
> 
> Meanwhile, Ryan and Hope work together to escape Malivore, but a distraction leads to dangerous consequences.

**_Salvatore Boarding School…_ **

Ryan never thought he’d find himself in the halls of Hope’s school, much less be welcomed with open arms and cheers. He asked the boy that opened the door, a charming vamp named Kaleb, where Hope was and he gladly directed Ryan to her room. Instead, he found her in one of the hallways, surrounded by children in ugly Christmas sweaters and strings of multicolored lights. She saw him and untangled herself from her peers, sliding to a stop in front of him.

“Oh thank god, you’re miserable too,” she said in greeting.

“Well, I wouldn’t call myself _miserable_ ,” he said. 

“You’re struck with the Christmas spirit too?” Hope cried.

“No, I’ve never been struck by that,” Ryan returned. “What’s going on?”

“You and I are the only ones around here that’s not eating figgy pudding and caroling.”

“Ah, well I’ve never participated in holidays, so I guess I’m immune to the Christmas spirit.” He looked her up and down. “What’s your excuse?”

“I used to love the holidays,” she admitted. “But I lost a lot of my family, and everything changed. Everyone running around here, all thankful for what they have…”

“You realize what you're missing,” he finished.

She looked at him in surprise.

“What?” Ryan said defensively. “If anyone can relate to being alone, it's me. I've never even had a Christmas.”

“Never?” Hope asked. “Like ever?”

“Who’s going to celebrate with a mudman?” he tried to joke. She looked even sadder at the prospect. Ryan cleared his throat and looked around the room. “Come on, let’s survey the room. I saw rolls over there. I’m hungry.”

Hope snorted, “You really are the son of a bottomless pit.” But she led him to the table of food, so Ryan honestly didn’t mind.

While over there, he ran into Josie, MG, and even Principal Saltzman, who wished him a Merry Christmas. “You’re a good man, Agent Clarke,” he cheered as he clapped Ryan on the back.

Ryan very much so doubted that, but he kept his mouth closed. Kaleb brought him a plate of food and he took it gratefully. As Ryan ate, and as Hope scoffed beside him over the singing, he watched the room as they joked and cheered. One of the teachers, Dorian, started handing out wish slips for students. He watched as they filled it out with conviction, believing that their wishes would come true. He could tell, based on the room, that none of the wishes were harmful, but if they were… 

“Quit stalling, mud man,” Hope groused, impatient. “What do you think we’re up again?”

“Mm,” Ryan finished his biscuit. “My best guess? The Krampus.”

“What the hell is a Krampus?”

“It’s the monster that brought all this snow and ice to town. Think of it as the anti-Santa. Santa Claus rewards good boys and girls, right? Well, the Krampus does the opposite. It seeks out hatred and anger instead of peace and joy.”

“We're literally surrounded by peace and joy.”

Ryan plucked two slips of paper from Dorian’s passing hands. He handed one to Hope. “Not for long,” he grinned. He scribbled something down. “Now you put something mean down like an ugly dress for MG.” He gave Hope his pen.

She looked at him curiously. “What did you put down?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he grinned.

“Why do I have to put down the bad thing?”

“Because, Hope,” he snickered, “as you can attest, I’ve been a very bad boy this year. I thought I’d turn over a leaf. Now it’s your turn to do the same and do something bad.”

Hope rolled her eyes, “Fine,” and wrote down her naughty wish. 

Ryan laughed at her sour face. “You should be proud of me, Hope. I took a page out of your playbook. We’re drawing it to us.”

* * *

**_By the Sea…_ **

The desert floor dropped into a hill, which would lead to the empty sea. Ryan was met with the same black waters as before. The last time he was here, Ryan had been half-mad with anger and disappointment. At first, the water had been cleansing, vindictive in his hate, until he was reminded of his self-inflicted fury. His personal despair was what caused him to drown, crying out for love and not much else.

Vali whined next to him, sensing Ryan’s thoughts. And on his other side, Hope reached down and laced her hand with his. He stared at the connection and the warmth in surprise. This was the first time she’d touched him. This is the first time _anyone_ had touched him, sought to comfort him with sympathy. Did she know what she did to him?

He nodded and marched on. They made their way down the hill and towards the shore. Pebbles and sand crunched beneath his shoes. Vali sniffed the air and let out a howl. Hope turned to him. “Are you ready to do the linking spell?”

“Yes.” They came to a stop before the water. “But, if you are linked to me and I die, will you die?”

“There are spells like that, but this is…a different one.”

Ryan tilted his head. “Different? How?”

“Well, my aunt used this spell when she married her wife,” Hope explained awkwardly. “It’ll be temporary! I promise.”

“Hope Mikaelson!” Ryan laughed. “Is this a _marriage_ spell?”

Her cheeks turned into a vivid red. Even in the darkness of Malivore, he could see it. “Shut up!” she said. “It’s _not_ marriage spell. It’ll just…link our energies together.”

Ryan raised his brow. “Did your aunt use this when they went into the bridal suite?” 

“I’m not answering that!” Hope cleared her throat and grabbed his other hand. They were now facing each other. The blue light of the portal made her eyes glow. He thought he could stare into her eyes forever.

_Focus, Ryan._

“Okay, it’ll link us and there might be some…emotional sharing for a while, but it won’t last long, I promise.”

“Don’t worry, Hope, I’m a mud man. We don’t have any emotions.”

Hope rolled her eyes and then closed them. Vali watched them curiously as Hope began to chant. “ _Animam meam, ut animam tuam,_ ” her magic began to creep across his skin, a pleasant feeling, " _Animae meae anima vestra. Virtus enim tua potestate mea. Virtus enim tua potestate mea!”_

“Oh wow,” Hope said as she stepped back. “You were totally lying.”

“About what?” he asked, riding the high of her emotions. So much of her was warmth, either from pure joy of life or righteous fury. It was fantastic and unfamiliar and yet addictive. 

Vali looked between them with concern.

“About your emotions.” She cleared her throat. “There is _so_ much here.”

“Really?” he asked, feeling out the bond shared between him. He could feel how she felt about him: trust-worthy, redeemable. And he could pick apart some of her inclinations, like how she wasn’t a fan of the sand and why she thought his stupid brother was cute. Worse, he _understood_ her.

“It’s just…all,” she tried to explain it, and he could feel her confusion tingling through to him. “ _Sad_ , Ryan, you’re so sad. How do you live like this?”

“I don’t feel so sad right now,” he told her. Any other time, he’d be bothered by her words, but her confidence and personal security was running in his veins, so he wasn’t. He was high off of her.

“I know, that’s the thing,” she said. “Even with all your sadness, and loneliness, and daddy issues, I can feel, I can _feel_ the little bits of happiness. I just wanna,” she made a gesture like she was pulling something apart. He hoped it didn’t mean she wanted to rip him to shreds. “Crack it open and make you _happy_.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Ryan shifted uncomfortably. He touched the jaded fury in her heart and thought about how he could wear down those edges. “You need someone to ground you, Hope. Landon does that for you, doesn’t he.”

She nodded, wild eyes at him. 

“I could do that for you too,” he offered. Because he could. Ryan knew how to deal with his outward anger, his outer emotions, the rest of him was a mess, but he at least knew that. “I could be good for you.”

Hope looked at him sadly and he could feel it sour their bond. He shouldn’t have said that. Fucking stupid. The cloud that was their shared emotions, energies, histories, began to fade at the edges. “Thank you, Ryan, for the offer. Really.” 

But she’d never take it.

Ryan nodded and felt himself settle into himself. He could still feel their bond, but it wasn’t as overwhelming now. It wouldn’t be long now, he reasoned, before they escaped Malivore. And he could keep his promise and never see her again. It would be okay.

Ryan looked around the shoreline and then saw something he hadn’t before. Maybe with Hope’s magic curdling inside of him, he could _see_ things that he wouldn’t have been able to before. He knew she could now see the blue trail of the maze, but with her added magic, they could see what Malivore was hiding. And what he was hiding was a gigantic cave among the hills. Looking at it made him _want_ to look away, as if Malivore was actively hiding something.

Hope noticed the cave too. “Do you think that’s…?”

“Malivore’s cave,” he finished. Vali whined beside him. “He has to have hidden his body somewhere in the maze, this might be…”

“Our only chance to get his true form,” Hope finished. “We should--”

“--check it out.” Ryan grinned righteously. “Let’s destroy him.”

Vali growled, laying on the ground. Ryan and Hope nudged him to stand up.

“C’mon, Vali,” Ryan murmured, “it’ll be okay.”

When Vali refused to move, Ryan and Hope agreed that he’d be safe out there on the shore, only for the Woxler to follow them once they left. They crept along the path, standing close to one another. The magic surged between them with the proximity. His thoughts sparkled and fizzed with it, but he marched on anyway. If they could destroy Malivore, it would all be worth it.

* * *

**_Salvatore Boarding School…_ **

Ryan decided he could go with never having the tongue of Krampus wrapped around his throat again. Thankfully Hope had cut off its tongue before it could choke Ryan to death. Later, now that the Christmas cheer had dulled, Principal Saltzman took the time to try and intimidate Ryan for his past before _Santa_ of all people crawled out of the red sack and body slammed the Krampus to death. Santa was a jolly good fellow, and even Ryan had to admit that his heart warmed in the presence of the fella. After Krampus’s departure, Santa started handing out presents. Ryan felt a little bad for Hope because she had to use up her exclusive wish to cause some mayhem, but it was worth it, when Santa approached him with a neatly wrapped box.

“Ryan Clarke!” Santa ho ho hoed. “I never expected the day to find your name on my good list!”

Ryan tried not to let it get to him, but even he could admit he wasn’t the _nicest_ of beings. “Santa. Good to see you.” Ryan eyed the present in Santa’s hands.

Santa laughed and clapped him on the back. “Ah, good cheer, Ryan! I got you what you wished for.”

_A way to stop Malivore and make Hope happy._

”It took a mighty Rudolph to get my hands on it, but I believe it’s exactly what you wanted.” Santa handed Ryan the box.

He tore through the gift wrap to reveal a hard-bound grimoire, so ancient that the front cover was almost devoid of all its symbols and the paper weathered a deep brown. “Thank you, Santa,” Ryan said, emotion clouding his voice. “Really.”

“If it’ll stop your scrooge of a father from ruining Christmas again, then it was well worth it!” Santa cheered. “Now as for the other part of your wish. I usually don’t answer two wishes at once, but…” Santa smiled boldly. “I’m sure your other wish will come true well enough.” Santa clapped him on the back and left him with that.

Hope wandered over to him. “What was that about?” she asked, peering at the book in his hands.

“Santa brought me a present.” Ryan smiled and handed the book to her. “I wished for this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a grimoire,” he explained, “of one of the witches that made Malivore.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Wait, really?”

“Yes, there might be something in there that can help us stop him.” He would read it first, Hope could too, and then he’d send the writings to Freya and her friends. He could tell that a plan was forming in the air. They might be able to defeat his father. And soon. “Merry Christmas, Hope.”

For the first time tonight, he saw a true smile on her face. “Merry Christmas, Ryan.”

* * *

**_Malivore’s Lair…_ **

Vali wouldn’t stop whimpering. Ryan and Hope tried to calm the Woxler down, but nothing they did would ease the tucked tail nature of the healer. They were pretty deep in the tunnel that the cave had led to. Nothing had appeared yet, but Ryan knew from the bond, that Hope was ready to lash out at whatever came in their path.

The tunnel they walked along was a long windy one. It branched off, at times, but Ryan could see the same blue streak that followed the larger maze of Malivore, so they kept to the main path. With Hope at his side, Ryan felt confident that they could somehow destroy his father, or if nothing else, drag his slumbering body through the portal.

“As the tribrid,” Ryan whispered, “you should be able to wipe away the marks that give him life.”

“But I’m not a fully activated tribrid,” Hope hissed in the dark. “What am I gonna do? Take two-thirds of his life?”

“I don’t know, that sounds like a good plan to me.”

Hope smacked him the arm.

Vali made a huffing noise.

As they turned a corner, Ryan walked straight first into a wall of mud. Or, as he stepped back in surprise: a creature of mud. Whatever it was, it looked exactly like a human, except it’s skin was still caked in mud, much like Ryan had been when he was first created. Come to think of it, it even sort of _looked_ like him. The other creature stared at Ryan in shock.

“Octavus?” the creature cried. “It is you!”

Ryan froze. “What did you just call me?” He hadn’t heard that name in years…

“Brother, it is me, Septima!” 

“You know him?” Hope asked.

“No, I don’t, what,” Ryan fumbled with his words.

“Father never let us talk to you, as we were beneath you, brother, but you were our crowning glory!” Septima said. “You finally return home!”

“Home?” Hope raised her brows. “Ryan, what’s going on. That…thing called you brother.”

“I think,” Ryan paused, “he _is_ my brother. He’s another Golem, like me, but an earlier version.”

“Earlier?”

“When my father first made me, he called me Octavus. I was his eighth creation,” he explained, “More life-like than all those that came before me. But I was still a failure to father, for I couldn’t reproduce.”

“But Nonus can,” Septima cheered. “Isn’t that wonderful!”

“Yeah, it’s _great_.” Ryan rolled his eyes.

“Who’s Nonus?” Hope asked. Then frowned. “That means nine! Does he mean _Landon_?”

“Yes, he means my dweeb little brother.” Ryan scowled. 

“Have you brought Nonus too?” Septima asked. “Father and he must reunite!”

That gave Ryan an idea. An excellent idea even. “Actually, Septima…” Ryan started. “Would you take us to father’s body? I’m sure he would love to see me and the nice girl I brought home. Family reunions and all that.”

Septima clapped his hands together. “Yes, brother! Family!” He continued down the path. “Come, come!”

Ryan’s brother led them through a series of caves, musing about family and the strange geography that their father had created. Hope kept close, Vali even closer. The Woxler was weary of Ryan’s brother, they all were, but Septima seemed fairly gentle. Septima, it seemed, did not inherit the same personality as the rest of Malivore’s children. For that, Ryan was grateful.

Septima guided them into some sort of antechamber. They must’ve been at the center of the hill, for the ceiling was high above them. Beyond the antechamber was another room, as far as Ryan could seed.

“Father is just in there,” Septima pointed at the other room. “Our brothers will be so happy to see you.”

“Brothers?” Hope questioned. “Are they here?”

Just then, Ryan was pushed into one of the walls. Hope and Vali both made noises of surprise. Ryan managed to turn around, only to be met with a muddier version of Septima. This Golem barely had any features, much like their father. The mud man raised his fist at Ryan, more than ready to punch him. Hope broke the grip the Golem had on Ryan and pulled him into her circle for defense.

“Sextus, no!” Septima cried. “This is our brother! He wishes to see father!”

“Fool!” Sextus growled. “He destroys father. He bad!” Sextus lunged for Hope. 

Ryan pulled her out of the way. She pulled out her knife and tried to slice off the mud man’s arm. It fell limply to the ground, much to Septima’s cries, only to reform again. Hope cut off his arm again, and a leg to be sure. Sextus fell to the ground.

“Quintus!” Sextus cried. “Them destroy!”

Another golem, more blobular than Sextus, appeared. It punched Ryan and kicked at Hope. Quintus was vicious in his attacks, unable to stop once he started. Septima tried defending them, crying for them to stop fighting, but once Sextus got to his feet, they were outmatched. Quintus and Sextus were both bulky blobs of mud and they wouldn’t go down for long. Ryan, Hope, and Vali were easily outmatched.

“Ryan!” Hope yelled. “We need to get out of here!”

“We have to destroy my father’s body!” he shouted back, as he punched Sextus in the gut. “We can end this!” 

He could feel her frazzled energy through the bond and the righteous fury that drove her punches. He could tell that she wanted to shift into a wolf, but she was holding back. Her spells seemed to be more effective, but then the other Golems rolled into the room. The next three of Ryan’s siblings were spherical, with one being able to talk and roll around, another being able to roll around, and the last needing to be pushed around. Ryan figured these were: Quartus, Tertium, and Secundus. Ryan reasoned that Primis was just mud.

As soon as Sextus picked up Tertium and Secundus and began throwing them at Ryan and Hope, he knew it was over for them. Quartus bounced his way between Hope and Vali, separating the two.

“Okay let’s go!” he shouted, admitting defeat. They rushed down the tunnels. Ryan tried to use his body as a shield against his brothers. Mud clung to him and his clothes. Secundus landed on his head and Ryan felt dizzy for a moment. Another blow from Tertium had Ryan falling to his knees.

“Ryan!” Hope cried by his side. Vali rushed over to him, trying to lick his cheek. Ryan batted him aside as Hope helped him to his feet. He leaned heavily against her. Sextusrefused to give up, screaming at him and throwing rocks.

“Go!” Ryan gasped. “Go without me!”

“What? No!” Hope shouted.

“I’m slowing you down. I’ll live, but you need to go,” he urged. He wanted her, more than anything else in the world, to live, to leave this god forsaken place. To survive.

“No,” Hope snarled, “I’m not leaving without you.”

“Hope, please!”

Quartus banged against the tunnel ceiling, shaking rocks loose. Hope, Ryan, and Vali stumbled forward, ducking behind boulders to hide from Sextusand Quintus. Septima was nowhere to be found. They turned down one hallway, only to find themselves at a dead end. His brothers followed after them. Their only chance of survival, for now, was a cave-in. They could hide and recover, fight his brothers at a later day.

“Hope,” Ryan shouted, “make another rock barrier, like you did in the arches!”

She nodded and began chanting. He could feel her magic pull something from within him and he cried out at the way it twisted his insides. Ryan fell to the ground, but didn’t stop her as she caused more rocks to cave it. Quintus, Quartus, Tertium, and Secundus fell back from the onslaught of rocks, but Sextusdodged the falling debris, adamant to get to them. Ryan knew if Sextusended up inside their hole, it was over for them.

Vali knew it too. 

Their Woxler, so kind and brave, stood up from besides Ryan and growled at the mud monster. Vali glanced at him briefly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, and turned back to their enemy. Before Ryan could react, Vali had jumped the space and into Sextus’s arms. Hope cried out as Vali viciously tore at the mud’s throat and face. Sextusscrambled with the animal attached to him, trying to get Vali off, but it was no use. Sextus stumbled back through the rocks. 

The last thing Ryan saw before Hope’s rock barrier formed was of Vali’s bravery. And the last thing they heard of him was a mournful howl and then snap of bone. Hope fell to her knees and Ryan…

Ryan passed out from the pain of it all. 

* * *

**_The Cafe…_ **

Ryan sat patiently across Hope, waiting for her to speak. Instead, she was leafing through the Malivore grimoire and fidgeting with a pen. Beside her was a cup of tea, probably cold since she ignored it from the moment she sat down. Hope looked a little frazzled across from him, heavy bags under her eyes and cheeks paler than usual, like they’d been in Malivore. Her phone kept buzzing on the table, but she refused to look at it. Most importantly, she was ignoring him, which was strange because,

“Hope, you asked _me_ here,” Ryan interrupted. “Is something the matter?”

The young witch huffed and shut the book at once. “Your brother is driving me insane!”

Ryan raised a brow. Landon was less his brother and more a thorn in his side. And, Landon wasn’t _just_ Ryan’s brother. “Don’t you mean your ex-boyfriend?” asked pointedly.

“Fine, yes.” Hope rolled her eyes. 

“How is dweeby, little Landon bothering you this time?”

“He’s gotten it into his head that he’s fight-worthy because he grew fire wings _once_.” Hope sighed. “Josie doesn’t know what to do with him, which I really don’t blame, and now he thinks he can take on every monster that crosses our path. It’s driving me up that wall.”

“Landon’s learned a new trick then,” Ryan surmised. He didn’t like the bitterness he felt by that, but it was there. He knew that Landon would always be skilled in ways Ryan wasn’t, but wings? Ryan could feel his father’s voice in his head, telling him how worthless he was compared to Landon, how he failed to live up to expectation.

“It was a fluke,” Hope deflected. “And now he thinks he can take on a cupid of all things.”

Ryan frowned, head tilting. “A cupid?”

“Yeah,” Hope brushed it aside, “it’s okay. I put it in a barrier spell and cut off its wings. He won’t be able to get out.”

“You know it’s wings will grow back, right?” Ryan had dealt with one of them, Himeros, back in the day. “Did your barrier spell make a dome?”

Hope paused. “No,” she admitted. 

The phone on the table buzzed.

“I just want--” Hope pointed at the book in frustration. “You’re sending this to Freya soon, right? I wanted to take a look at it.”

“Your aunt will find something,” Ryan reassured. Ryan thought he already had.

Her phone buzzed again.

“You really should check that, “ Ryan nodded at it. Hope grabbed it with a sigh. He watched as her face flitted between emotions. “Something happen?”

“Cupid escaped. Like you said.” Hope stood up. “Landon’s in trouble, I should really go.”

“Let me help,” Ryan offered, standing up as well.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Hope said.

Ryan’s brow raised. “You know that doesn’t happen to me, right?”

“Okay, but please don’t pick a fight with Landon.”

He had to resist the urge to tell her that _Landon_ was the one that wanted to fight, not him, but he kept his mouth shut. He followed her out of the cafe and down the street. He didn’t know where they were going, but was glad to be a part of it regardless. Ryan touched the back of his belt for a moment, feeling the knife holster in case he needed it (not like it would do much against a cupid, but still.)

“So how did you beat a cupid last time?” she asked as they walked.

Ryan shrugged. “Tied his wings to some cinder blocks and pushed him into Malivore.”

Hope laughed, “Why doesn’t this surprise me.”

“I am a man of simple talents.”

Unsurprisingly, the cupid had escaped to a lonely hearts event at a bar up the road. Ryan had seen flyers for the event and had considered attending (mostly for the cheap booze of course.) Knowing that a cupid was on the loose was vaguely concerning for Ryan, because if nothing else, those flying bastards tended to air the dirty laundry of someone’s desires to the larger crowd against their wishes. But Ryan had little concern over that; the wants and desires of a group of young supernaturals was infinitely more interesting than the little panging of Ryan’s chest every time he saw Hope. 

When they entered the bar, three things came to his attention. First, for some reason his dweeby brother thought it was a good idea to bring a _child_ to a monster hunt. Second, the cupid in front of them was not Himeros so Ryan had no idea which cupid it was. And third, Landon could never be equipped to be a hero if he couldn’t shoot a weapon in times of need. Additionally, Hope was angry, which was never good for those at the other end of her ire. At the same time that Ryan was assessing the situation, Landon and his friends took notice of him and Hope.

“Hope,” Landon gaped, sounding like a lovestruck fool.

“Uh-oh,” the cupid realized. “Fun’s over.”

“Uh, we were, I was just,” Landon fumbled, “um--”

“Just trying to help?” Hope snided.

Ryan grinned beside her. “Little brother here to save the day?”

“Look, Cupid's arrows are his weakness,” Kaleb interrupted, “so we were just trying to--”

 _“Exsurgo,”_ Hope declared. All of the arrows in the cupid’s quiver floated in the air under Hope’s control. At times like these, Ryan was impressed by her refined, yet powerful magic.

“No fair!” the cupid whined.

Ryan smirked as Hope sent all the arrows flying into the cupid’s chest. The monster flung back into the shelves of alcohol, crashing below. Ryan wondered why she’d been hesitant to bring him here if she’d finished this monster so easily. 

“Okay,” Kaleb whistled, impressed.

She did not bask in the moment of glory for long before turning around to leave, Ryan with her.

Landon went to stop her, “Hope. Hope, wait.” 

“We will talk about this later,” she growled and left.

Ryan raised his brow. “Someone’s in trouble.”

Landon raised his fist to punch him. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “I thought I told you--”

“Believe it or not, brother, I do not take orders from you.” Ryan swept his eyes across the room, at the mess they made.

“What are you even doing with her?” Landon questioned. “What have you got her distracted with?”

Ryan wanted to scoff because Malivore was an issue for all of them, but Ryan had no reason to be nice to the boy. Let him stew in his paranoid delusions and his heroic grandeurs. Ryan and Hope had better things to take care of. “What I do with Hope is none of your concern, brother.”

“Doing?” Landon repeated. His face twisted into that ugly puggish look of his. “Please tell me you don’t actually believe I’d believe that Hope Mikaelson is doing it with you?”

Ryan squinted. It was moments like these that he forgot that they were all teenagers, and as such, they could take any word and twist it out of proportion (in this case the verb “do”) and by twisting it, meant turning it into something sexual when there wasn’t a basis for it. “Don’t project _your_ wishes onto me.” Despite Ryan’s interest in Hope, he would never… “And even if it was your concern, which it isn’t as I seem to remember you and the Saltzman twin necking it in the hallways, I’d think whatever Hope and I got up to is _none of your business_.”

Landon scowled.

Ryan straightened up and smirked. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Hope and I have lots to _do_.” And with that, he turned around and left.

* * *

**_Malivore’s Cave…_ **

“We should’ve never come here,” Hope sniffled, her knees drawn up to her chest.

Ryan leaned back against the wall he was propped up on. Even though Ryan couldn’t necessarily heal on his own, Hope’s magic did, and he was almost feeling better. Physically that was. The rest of him felt like shit. He felt like _mud_.

“Why did we come in here?” she asked.

“Because we thought we could get to Malivore.”

“No. Because _you_ thought you could finally beat Daddy.” Hope laughed bitterly. Then she sniffled. “And now…now Vali’s…he’s…”

 _Dead_.

There was so much in his life he wish he could’ve redone, but this, this had to be the lowest. This was his fault. He was the one to blame. He said they could still find his father. He said they should go into the cave. He was the one to agree to the bonding spell which allowed them to see the cave. He was the one to allow Vali to join them. He was the reason they were even in Malivore and he was the reason Malivore had been turned into a pit. 

_This was all his fault._

Ryan scrubbed at his face, the tears sticky on his skin. The sadness that flooded through their bond buried them both in guilt and grief, but Ryan knew that the gnawing pit in his stomach was his to blame. He wanted to twist it into fury, to destroy his brothers for what they’d done and then destroy his father. Like they deserved. And there was one way, Ryan knew how.

He crawled his way over to Hope, who was facing the rock barrier she’d created. Her hand was pressed against the wall, and he could tell from her magic that she was trying to sense what was on the other side. He sat beside her, but she wouldn’t look at him. “Hope,” he whispered.

“What?” she bit out, tears in her voice.

“Hope, look at me.” There were tears in his voice as well. “Look at me, please.”

“Why?”

“I know how to stop my brothers.”

She looked at him. “You do?” He’d never felt more relieved seeing her face than at that moment. It reminded him of his dream with Clíodhna. She was just as beautiful now as she was then. And in that moment, he felt like he could easily fall in love with her, if given the chance.

He nodded slowly, painfully. “I do, and because you’re a witch, I think it’ll work.”

“What is it? How do I stop them?”

“Each of my brothers bear similar markings as our father,” Ryan explained. “If you, a witch, wipe them away, then they die. Most of my brothers have their marks here,” he reached for her hand and pulled it to his forehead, allowing her fingers to brush against his skin, “or at the back of their neck.” He shivered as her fingers brushed the skin of his throat. He remembered spotting the marks on their mud forms while they were fighting. He couldn’t recall who’s was where, but he knew they were there. They had to be.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” she asked. She tried to draw her hand away, but he tightened his grip on her and moved their hands so that they rested in the space between them.

“I didn’t know I had brothers before,” he said, staring at their hands, itching to touch her, to hold her, to really feel her. “And…I didn’t want you to know my Achilles heel.” 

“I never noticed any markings on you,” Hope pointed out. 

“That’s because I hid mine in my bones,” Ryan admitted, glancing at her eyes. Around the same time that Ryan put Malivore into the pit, he had a witch put the marking on one of his bones, then wipe away the mark on the back of his neck. “No one could kill me unless they knew where exactly.”

“Oh.”

“Mine is right here,” he said, bringing her fingers atop his left hand, near the base of his palm. Her hand felt so much warmer than his and he could feel her magic, tingling along his skin. If he was magic like her, he wondered what it would feel like, to thrum with energy as she did. But he was only mud. He directed her to where his mark was carved in bone. “My mark is in the scaphoid. I will be okay if I lose my hand,” he explained to her, “But if a witch wipes it away…then I will die. Permanently. Or at least, until she decides to write my name there again.” 

“Why are you telling me this?” she whispered.

“Because Hope,” he sighed. He slid closer to her, feeling the warmth between them, how it soothed the aching in his bones, in his veins. “You know…I think I’ve always been a little jealous of you.”

“Jealous?”

“You’re as screwed up as I,” he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear with his other hand, “but everyone still loves you, Hope.”

“Ryan…”

“And, I always wanted to _believe_ my father could do the same,” Ryan continued. “But as much as I’ve decided to be good, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to achieve when we get out of here, when we’re up there and I see my stupid brother again.” They both chuckled, a little watery on his part. Ryan, even as he said this, felt like he was going to die down here. Anything to get her up there. “Now, if anyone is going to kill me, for good…I want it to be you.” 

She looked at him, blue eyes wide with emotion he couldn’t possibly understand. He felt it tingle along the bond. Grief, understanding, admiration? He had no clue.

He only knew what he felt. “At least you will end me with honor. Promise me you will.”

“I…I promise, Ryan,” she swore.

“Thank you, Hope,” he whispered. He had never put his fate in someone else’s hands before, it felt freeing and dangerous all at once. Like he was asking for forgiveness from the future, yet knowing what his past meant. He nodded at their wall. “Is anyone out there?”

Hope’s hands left his and she pressed them against the wall. “At least two of them,” she said. “I don’t know where the others are.”

“We can take them,” he said.

They got to their feet. Hope held her hand up to the barrier wall. “You ready?” she asked.

“For Vali,” Ryan said lowly.

“For Vali,” she agreed.

With the clench of her fist, the rock barrier crumbled and fell. Ryan went out first, spotting Quintus and Secundus. Secundus rolled on the ground, ready to dart down the tunnels, but then Hope raised a barrier spell. Quintus slammed his fist down upon Ryan and he let him, because any pain his brother tried to blow would be nothing to the agony he already felt. Ryan punched Quintus in the head, in the gut. Roared as he tore at the chunks of mud in his hands, wishing it was warm blood instead. In return, Quintus tore at Ryan’s scalp. 

“I got one of them!” Hope called.

Ryan struggled with his brother, trying to lower his arms at his side. Ryan panted as he scanned Quintus’s head. “It’s on his neck!” Ryan gasped.

He saw Hope at his brother’s back. She whispered some spell and then wiped her hands across Quintus’s neck, erasing his name. Quintus froze and Ryan felt him die in his arms. Good. Ryan dropped the Golem to the ground and stared at Hope. “Thank you,” he breathed.

“That was…easier than I thought it was,” she said. “Should we do the same to your other brothers?” Hope turned to look down the tunnel, “I mean, they’re just down the--”

Ryan reached out and stopped her from looking. “Don’t.” He turned her head to face him. “Don’t look that way.”

Because if she looked that way, then she would have to see what remained of Vali. And she didn’t deserve to see the head of their friend parted from his body. Ryan could bear that weight for the two of them.

“Is it--?” she asked, tears in her eyes.

“Yes.”

“And you’re sure he’s…dead?”

“Certain of it.”

She looked hopeless. 

And Ryan hated to see that look on her. So he drew her into his arms, resting a comforting hand atop her head. Ryan couldn’t comfort her, heal her, like Vali had, but he could do this. Provide some kind of warmth in his arms. He heard her cry, felt her choked off sobs, and held her closer. If Landon was here, he’d know what to do. He’d give her peace of mind. But Ryan was all she had right now. He could do this for her. 

“Come on, Hope,” he murmured softly, trying to soothe her, “let’s go home.”

* * *

**_Hope’s Bedroom, Salvatore Boarding School…_ **

“Does Principal Saltzman know that you’ve snuck me up here?” Ryan asked, bouncing on the edge of Hope’s bed.

Currently the tribrid was busy leafing through her bookshelf for some family grimoire, which as Ryan had told her, would be pointless as they already had the grimoire of the Malivorian witch. Hope glared at him for a moment, before returning to her books and admitting that, “No, I did not tell him and I will not be telling him. He’s a little peeved about the whole urn thing still.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Did he forget the part where I helped his daughters?”

“Trust is…difficult to gain with Alaric, Ryan.” Hope turned to face him. “Why does it matter to you?”

How could he explain to Hope that Alaric was a part of Hope’s family, and that if he ever wanted to be a part of her life, he’d have to be on the good graces with them. Ryan couldn’t expect any of the Mikaelsons to like him (even if only a few were left.) And Ryan couldn’t very well tell her about it without giving his personal feelings away. Hope didn’t need that burden. 

“Ryan?” she walked over to him.

He opened his mouth--

_WOOSH!_

Ryan rushed to his feet as Hope fell to the ground. “Hope!” He fell to her side. Impaled in her gut was an arrow. Not just any arrow, a cupid’s arrow. Ryan pulled her closer to him. “Hope? Hope!”

She pointed weakly past him.

Hovering outside her window was a bloody, deranged cupid. Before Ryan could react, another arrow rushed through the air and stabbed him in his neck. Ryan fell to the ground besides Hope. Blood began to soak the collar of his shirt. Had that been a real arrow?

But that was when the dread began to creep in.

“I thought I killed you,” Hope panted.

“No, you thought you killed Cupid,” he corrected. “But I am his taller, hotter, cooler, older brother Pothos.” 

As Pothos spoke, Ryan felt his heart weaken and slow, blood gone cold. The world around him darkened and dulled. Nothing about life felt meaningful. And Ryan...he felt forgotten. His chest called out for something, but he didn’t know what. All he felt was the burden of being alone and empty and stuck without relief. Ryan began to shiver from the cold.

Hope pulled the arrow out of her gut.

“Can't imagine that Burning Love arrow feels too good, does it?” Pothos taunted as he stalked towards their bodies. “It burns you from the inside out until your whole body is reduced to ash. Save for your juicy, delicious heart.” Pothos growled.

“Leave…her…alone,” Ryan panted, struggling with the arrow still lodged in his neck. He couldn’t pull it out, he was paralyzed in his own agony. It felt like he was in the empty sea. 

“And you.” Pothos nudged his foot against Ryan’s body, tsking. “After what you did to my brother, I think a No Love arrow is what you deserve.”

Ah, that it explained it then. Instead of overwhelming him with love, he was devoid of any of it. The joke was on Pothos then, there wasn’t much love within Ryan in the first place. It was painful, but familiar to him, the emptiness welling inside.

“Ryan,” Hope whispered weakly, reaching out for him. He could see the burning red of her eyes. In return, his eyes were turning a dull gray. Ryan wanted, more than anything in this moment, to be bonded with her again. She brushed her hands across the cold skin of his cheek and reached for his neck. He hissed as she pulled out the arrow for him, but it barely gave him any relief. 

Pothos snickered. “How pathetic.”

“Hey!” Landon shouted, rushing into the room. “Eat me instead.”

Pothos looked at him incredulously. “A weak loser heart or badass witch heart tenderized by one of my arrows?” Pothos didn’t even blink. “I'm good, thanks.”

“How about now?” Landon pulled out a red arrow, which seemed to be important based on Hope’s gasp, and then plunged it into his chest.

“Epic love arrow,” Pothos observed. “You brought out the big guns.”

_Oh great._

“That's right.” Landon smiled dreamily. “Well, you've never eaten a heart as full of love as mine is for her.” 

“Weren’t you just telling me about your girlfriend Josie?”

“That stuff I said doesn't matter,” Landon said, completely out of it. “The love that Hope and I have for each other is more than I ever dreamed of finding in my lifetime. More than I even thought was possible.”

“That's just my arrow talking.” 

The two of them walked out into the hallway. Hope crawled out after them and Ryan couldn’t help but follow her. She was his beacon, his guide to the living.

“Is it?” Landon asked. “I don't really feel the difference.”

“You wouldn’t,” Pothos told him.

“I already love Hope Mikaelson with all my heart,” Landon declared. And it felt so wrong coming from his lips, because it just wasn’t true. Ryan glanced at Hope, could see the tears in her eyes as Landon said these things, because she knew he didn’t mean them too.

Pothos laughed. “You know, the love you feel for her, it may be true and maybe a little epic. But that guy,” Pothos pointed at Ryan, “I hit him with the No Love arrow and I can still tell he has feelings for her.”

Ryan couldn’t look at her, not wanting to see Hope’s reaction. But he knew she was watching him, burning beside him. He breathed heavily through the pain. Clinging to Hope, clinging to the last shreds of happiness he had.

“I would eat his,” Pothos admitted, “but it’s shriveled up.”

“I don't care if he loves her,” Landon swooned. “I can’t want to live without her. So if you're going to kill her, you need to kill me, too.”

“Well,” Pothos grinned, “if you insist.”

Hope shouted, “Landon, no!”

Ryan would never say it brought him pain to see his brother die, but he was surprised to find that it brought him no joy. Pothos ripped Landon’s heart out of his chest, hand sticky and red with blood. His brother’s body crumbled to the floor, dead. Pothos waved his prize at Ryan and Hope.

“Don't worry,” Pothos said, his teeth vicious like a lion’s. “You're next.” Pothos ate Landon’s heart. Hope cried next to him. Ryan rested his hand on her hip, trying to give her peace before he lost his own will to live. Before Pothos could take another bite, he crumbled to the ground, skin turning gray. He gagged on his own tongue, hacking blood onto the hardwood floor. “Your ex-boyfriend's smarter than he looks,” Pothos said before he died.

* * *

**_The Empty Sea…_ **

It had started to rain and he could already feel the despair in the air. They stood at the shoreline, staring at the column of blue light in the center of the sea. The last time Ryan was here, he had waded into the water, much like he had into the pit, and trudged through the despair. This time, he had Hope.

 _“Exsurgo!”_ she shouted, her hands raising the earth. Ryan watched, transfixed as the black sea parted for a slab of rock, high enough for them to cross. Hope’s magic tugged at his core from across the bond, pulling and sucking in most of his energy. _“Effio!_ _Mittent!_ ” A bridge began to form, stretching across the water. Hope glanced at him. “Come on.” She pulled him by the hand onto the rock. 

It was only wide enough for one person to walk along and the ground shifted underneath him, weaker than any real bridge, but Hope never let him go as she guided him through the rocks. The waves below lapped angrily at their bridge, splashing up at him. His shoes were soaked from the water and the rain, which swelled from a drizzle to a storm, streaked angrily across his cheeks. Ryan kept a wary eye to the horizon, in case lightning decided to strike. Ryan had been struck by the bolt of longing and grief only once before, but it had been enough to paralyze him in fear, and he would not allow that to happen to Hope. They were halfway through the sea, when they were joined by another.

“Octavus!” a voice shouted. Ryan glanced behind him to see Sextus running down their rock bridge.

“We need to run,” Hope said. Ryan agreed and they started to pick up the pace. Ryan still felt weak from Hope’s bonding spell and from the rain.

“Brothers dead!” Sextus roared.

“Can you break the bridge?” Ryan panted as they reached two-thirds. The portal light was blindingly ahead.

“Die brother!”

Hope turned back around and shouted, _“Excindo!”_ at Sextus. The bridge began to collapse beneath the golem. Sextus jumped among the rocks, still chasing after them. The shaking of the bridge had Ryan tightening and loosening his grip on Hope. He didn’t want to let her go, but he also didn’t want to pull her down if he fell.

“Die brother!” Sextus cursed and Ryan watched as he fell into the sea.

“That won’t hold him for long,” Ryan told Hope. “Father’ll raise him soon.”

“Then let’s go!” The bridge was still collapsing behind him, shockwaves of the fallen rock making his knees buckle. A hurricane of despair whipped around them. Ryan could hear screams in the wind, voices familiar. He could hear Gary, Clíodhna, even Vali’s howls, haunting him as they stumbled along the path. If Ryan looked at the water for too long, he could see murky shadows taunting him, the lost monsters of Malivore, begging to drag him down. Water dripped down his face and neck, spilling into his mouth, his throat clogging with the force of it. Lightning struck in the distance. The portal, it was bright light, and it hurt his eyes, made him want to look away, look towards the sea. The unforgiving sea.

_I should just jump and be done with it._

“Hope,” Ryan started, “I think--I’m not--”

“I know,” Hope said, shouldering on. “I can feel it too.”

The only thing that felt real was the bond between them.

The rock collapsed underneath him. He could hear his father’s voice around him, his angry roar. The water crashed and bellowed. Sextus’s scream splintering through the waves. The wind knocked through them and broke their grip on one another. Ryan fell to his knees, pants torn from the sharp rock 

“Hope!” he gasped. One hand tried to hold onto the rock beneath him, the other held out for her. “Hope!”

She turned around. “Ryan!” Hope reached out. Lightening zipped just past them, startling her. Hope slipped, leg twisting beneath her, and tilted over the edge. Ryan lunged and grabbed her before she fell in the ocean below. She screamed for him as the water tried to eat her, but Ryan wouldn’t let her go. She clung to him, tears in her eyes, and Ryan willed himself to be stronger, to be better. He pulled on their bond and somehow gained the strength to pull her up and onto their little bridge. Hope panted against the rock, her hair drenched from the rain and clothes soaked from the ocean. 

“We need to keep going,” he said, wiping the rain off his face.

Hope shook her head. “I can’t--I can’t move.”

Right, she’d gotten hit by the ocean. “Okay,” he nodded, “I’ll carry you.”

“What? Ryan!” she startled as he hefted her into his arms. She was heavy and Ryan wasn’t particularly strong, he was mud not rock, but he could carry her to the end.

“Don’t worry,” Ryan said. “I got you.”

She stared at him as he walked carefully to the portal. They had a couple yards to go. The storm blazed around them, but Ryan could do this. _Would_ do this. And, if he was honest with himself, having her in his arms made something in his chest settle. Maybe it was their bond, strengthened from the close contact, or maybe it was because he was doing the rescuing for once, but either way, he felt strong in that moment.

“Ryan,” Hope she whispered, her head falling against his chest. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he murmured. “We still need to get through the portal.”

He carried her the rest of the way. The portal was housed at the very center of Malivore on a small slab of rock. The portal was a column of light and walking through it would feel like salvation. But walking through it usually meant that a deal was struck with the devil. This time would be better. They would be free of this nightmare.

The moment Ryan stepped on the little rock, Hope’s magic broke and the bridge collapsed behind them. He lowered Hope gently to stand. She clung to his arm, staring at the bright light before them. They could go blind from it, but it was better than looking at the rest of Malivore.

“This is it,” Ryan shouted. “Step through that, and we’ll be free. Sayonara Malivore and all that.”

“Ryan,” Hope returned, her face shining against the blue light, “I just wanted to say…thank you. For helping me get through this, for keeping your word.” 

“We shook on it…” It felt like he was saying goodbye to her. Which, he guess he was. Final moments and all. He swore she’d never have to see him again. “I just wanted to say…” he searched her eyes, her face, looking for _something_. Did she even like him? Or did she only tolerate him? “I’m sorry, for all the bad that happened down here.” 

“Are those your last words?” she asked because even she didn’t want to think about what they’d lost down here.

“No,” he shook his head. Ryan reached out to hold her. “Those aren’t my last words.” She stared at him with wide eyes as he stepped closer. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but knew he couldn’t, not with how she looked at him, as he drew her into his chest. “Thank you,” he returned. “For bringing me hope.” He kissed the top of her head. And it was something, having her in his arms, and it was nothing, having the agony of the world around them. “Thank you, Hope.”

She pressed herself closer to him, just for a moment, and he felt warmth sear through him. But she only allowed him a moment of that joy before she pulled back. She looked up at him as she left his arms. “See you on the other side,” Hope said. “Partner.”

Ryan smiled.

Hope entered the blue light. 

He looked around Malivore, thinking he could live another thousand years before he thought of his father again. And yet, he was grateful, even if just for a moment, because he’d had his time with Hope in here. He wouldn’t get that when he entered the portal. That was okay though. There was still time for him. Ryan Clarke touched the blue white light, feeling its freedom brush his skin. He stepped into the light.

Free at last.

* * *

**_Hope’s Bedroom, Salvatore School…_ **

Ryan woke up in Hope’s bed. His entire body felt sore, but thriving with life. He touched his neck tenderly, not expecting a bruise to be there. Someone hadn’t snapped his neck then. And because his mouth tasted like blood, Ryan had good reason to believe that Hope had healed him. 

But where was Hope?

He sat up in her bed, still wearing his bloodied suit. His neck ached, but it was a distant sort of ache. And the empty hole that was inside of him had resolved into what felt normal to Ryan. He looked around Hope’s room, taking note of how her and her roommate differed on styles. Hope’s side carried family heirlooms, books, and things to provide comfort. Ryan could see that Hope had a similar collection of candles as him, but he suspected that Hope’s were less for comfort and more for magic. He noticed that her bathroom door was shut.

And he could hear voices inside.

It only took him a moment to register the voices. One was obviously Hope, as he could recognize her voice anywhere, but he could also hear the annoying sounds of his brother, clearly alive. The dread began to creep in again as he listened to Hope and Landon talk. He couldn’t hear much but it was clear that Hope was upset by whatever she was saying, and Landon sounded equally as upset, and more than a little hopeful.

“I…could’ve _lost_ you…” Hope said with devotion. “I…not again…I love…”

And from Landon, “I will…always…you.”

“Be…by your side…” 

Ryan thought that making assumptions based on muffled phrases and love-torn voices was a recipe for disaster. Maybe he was mishearing them, maybe they were still in love. But the fact remained: Ryan was alone on Hope’s bed and Hope had trapped herself with Landon instead. It must’ve been because Pothos had said all those things about Ryan and his dead heart, how it clung to her. She must’ve been revolted by him. But no, that was harsh. He and Hope were friends. But friends…friends checked up on each other when they were shot in the neck, right? And yet, it was clear to him that he was alone at this moment. He stayed on the bed for a few more minutes, begging for her to come out and see him, praying that she was just checking on Landon and then would come see her, but when five minutes passed and then another ten, and Hope was _still_ talking with Landon, Ryan knew his waiting was pointless. 

Ryan got up and straightened his suit. It was time, he decided. He ran into Josie outside of Hope’s door. “Clarke,” the girl blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know you were here too.”

 _Too_. Yes, Ryan was only an addendum, an afterthought. “No, I was just leaving,” Ryan said in passing.

“But--”

He didn’t particularly care for what the Saltzman twin had to say. There was no reason for Ryan to be here. In all honesty, he was only ever here for Hope. He would stand by her side, even if she would not stand by his. It was to be expected, he guessed. That’s just how things were for men like him. But he would put his foot down, once and for all, because it was the least he could do.

When he made his way outside, Ryan pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Freya?” he started when she answered. “I think I’ve found a spell to destroy Malivore. I’ll send it to you in a bit, but we will need to assemble a number of people… It’s time we finished this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like...Ryan's brothers are OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!!! They may be created in order of least humanlike to most human like (of course Landon's real name is Nonus ewwww) but Sectus is weirdly in charge. probably because of how similar he is to Malivore lol.
> 
> also okay i am SORRY about Vali!!! I promise, it is going to be okay!!! i love him so much and also Ryan and Hope do too. i wanted to showcase how devastated they are by his loss and i hope that comes through even just a little bit
> 
> teenagers are the worst and ALSO, i dooo feel weird about pairing hope and ryan together because he's so much older than her, but the reason why I hate Landon so much is because they're just not on the same level of experience (like Hope's been through a LOT and Ryan has too) so I feel weird about this fic, but also...like it'll be okay?
> 
> but also, uwu, he gave her his HEART!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!


	5. Optimis Consiliis Posita (The Best Laid Plans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan has a plan to destroy Malivore, but he needs some help...

**_Mystic Falls Grill…_ **

Ryan laid the grimoire out on the table between Hope and Freya. Hope was the only one actually there with Freya astral projecting into the space. Ryan had called this meeting, but Hope seemed anxious sitting there. It was the first time they’d talked since the cupid fiasco. In Ryan’s mind, the sooner they closed Malivore, the sooner he could detangle himself from her. Let her be without the burden of Ryan.

“So, what is this spell you have in mind?” Freya asked, hands ghosting over the pages. “And when were you going to send me this book?”

“I planned on sending it to you a few days ago, after Hope got a moment to look through it,” Ryan said, “but I knew, as soon as I first read this ritual, that it was what was needed.”

“How so?”

“The witch describes the process to create Malivore. This is the spell,” he underlined a passage of Latin. “Now, the ritual that created my father involved a witch, vampire, and werewolf, but to undo their magic, we would need a larger magical presence, especially since Malivore has grown in this time.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Seven witches,” Ryan started. Hope and Freya both blinked at him in surprise. “Five vampires, three werewolves, and one tribrid.”

“That’s a lot of people,” Freya whistled.

“I never said this would be easy.”

Hope gaped at him. “I’m not a fully activated tribrid.”

“Which is why we needed so many people,” Ryan repeated. “Do you think we can get more?.”

“These people can’t be strangers,” Freya told him. “A spell like this, there has to be some blood magic involved. And different kinds of witches. And the vampires, we might even need an original.” Freya looked at the spell. “A ritual won’t cut it, Clarke. You’ll need something more.”

“I know,” Ryain said. “I was hoping you could transfer the spell into an object.”

Freya frowned. “Why would you do that?”

“So I can carry it into the heart of Malivore.”

Hope glared. “You can’t be serious.”

“It’s the only way to stop this, as far as I can tell.”

“You’re not going back in there!” 

Freya glanced between them. “Hope, this very might be the way to put down Malivore for good.”

Hope turned to her aunt, looking like she might yell, and than smiled briefly at her. “Aunt Freya,” she said sweetly, “could you give me and Ryan a minute, here?”

“Sure…” Freya disappeared.

Ryan gulped as Hope turned on him. “When were you going to tell me that you were going to go back in there?” she demanded.

“I just did.”

“Ryan!” She kicked him under the table. “I’m not letting you go back in there alone.”

“Why not?” Ryan questioned. “I’m the only one who can get through the maze quickly. I can’t die, not for long, and as you know, I have extensive knowledge about the monsters down there.”

“What about the empty sea?” Hope asked. “We broke the bridge, Ryan, you won’t be able to get out. You said it yourself, you needed your father’s help to escape the first time, and I doubt he’ll help you when you’re trying to destroy him. So how were you going to get out?”

He stayed quiet.

Realization dawned on her face. “Don’t tell me--” Hope made an abortive noise in her mouth, like she wanted to scream at him but couldn’t because they were in public. “Ryan! When were you going to tell me this was a suicide mission?”

“What do you want me to say, Hope?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Malivore needs to be destroyed, I’m willing to sacrifice myself so this can be done. I swore you never had to see me again, I can finally make good on my promise--”

“Stop bringing that up!” Hope shouted. One of the waitresses looked at them in worry. Hope blushed and lowered her voice. “We made that deal a long time ago, Ryan. We’re friends now, I don’t want you out of my life. I don’t want you to die. I _care_ about you.”

Ryan felt like his heart would jump out of his chest. “Oh.”

Hope sighed and rubbed her eyes. “So, what we need to do is find a spell or object that will give us a way out when we’re down there.”

“Us? We?” Ryan blinked. 

“Yes, _us_. Obviously I’m not letting you go down there alone after you confessed your stupid death wish.” Hope glared at him. Before he could protest, saying it was too dangerous and she was more important than him, she added, “Besides, you need me. Without our bonding spell. You’ll never see Malivore’s cave.”

Ryan’s mouth parted. “The bonding spell?” Ryan asked in surprise. “We’re getting married again?”

Hope blushed, “Don’t call it that!”

Ryan smirked and leaned across the table. “Well what else I’m going to call it? A coupling spell?”

“I’m bringing Aunt Freya back,” Hope decided, ignoring him. Ryan grinned and settled back in his seat. Aunt Freya appeared momentarily, looking strangely between the two of them. “A few more things about the plan, Aunt Freya. Not only will we need all those people, but we’ll also need some charmed objects…”

* * *

**_Headmaster’s Office, Salvatore School…_ **

Alaric glared at the man sitting before him. Agent Clarke had a smarmy, almost rat-like face, and whenever he talked, he did so pretentiously, acting like he knew everything. This is what Alaric hated about immortals, they looked down on humans like him. But Alaric wouldn’t be intimidated by Agent Clarke, and whatever he wanted, he couldn’t have.

“I suppose there’s a reason you’re here?” Alaric questioned pointedly.

Clarke crossed one leg over the other and smirked. “I suppose there is.”

Alaric wanted to snap the pencil in his hand and stab him in the heart with it, like he was a rogue vampire. It was times like these that he regretted Caroline stashing his crossbow in the hidden closet and not on the mantle above his desk like it should’ve been. But he had to calm his temper. “I let you onto my campus,” Alaric gritted, “tell me what you want.”

“Actually, this is something we both want,” Clarke told him. “Hope and I have found a way to end Malivore for good.”

“Great, Hope knows it,” Alaric clapped his hands together. “You can leave.”

“Not so fast,” Clarke smirked. “I will be needed.” From there, Agent Clarke explained the plan to stop Malivore. It sounded insane, stupid, and extremely dangerous. Alaric wouldn’t have believed him if the golem hadn’t brought the Malivorian grimoire with him. But,

“I’m not letting you drag Hope into Malivore,” Alaric declared. “I don’t trust you.”

“Believe me,” Clarke said, which Alaric did _not_ , “I don’t want her down there anymore than you do. But, she was insistent. If you can convince her to let me go alone, be my guest.”

“Is that why you came here?” he asked.

“In part.” Clarke uncrossed his legs. “For the ritual, we will need some out of town guests. They need a place to stay.”

“You want me to house them,” he surmised. 

“We also do not have enough people for the spell,” Clarke continued. “We need four witches, two wolves, and two vampires. Lizzie has already expressed interest,” Alaric would need to ask his daughter why she was consorting with known bad-guys after this, “as has MG. I would like to include some more of Hope’s friends.”

“You want me to involve students?” Alaric scoffed. “Out of the question.”

“I have an inkling, they will join with or without your permission.” Clarke shrugged. “Plenty of do-gooders at this school.”

Alaric glared at the man. The instinct to stab him returned. He kept his cool and switched topics, “I still don’t understand why you want to destroy Malivore.”

“I’ve always wanted to get rid of my father.”

“A couple months ago, you were actively trying to raise him,” Alaric reminded him.

“I was wrong.” Agent Clarke admitted. As if it was that simple. “And I want him gone.”

“I think there’s more to it than that,” Alaric decided. “And when I figure out what it is you really want, I’ll stop you from getting it.”

Agent Clarke smirked. “Be my guest, Principal Saltzman.”

Bastard.

* * *

**_Salvatore School…_ **

Ryan stood outside the front gate in his best suit. He wished Hope was here, but she promised she’d come shortly as she had to talk with some of her the wolves she knew. In her place, stood the Saltzman twins. Lizzie beamed beside him, nudging him as he adjusted the sleeve of his coat.

“You nervous?” she pondered.

“Why would I be nervous?” Ryan scoffed. The stupid cufflink wouldn’t stay upright. “All of these people agreed to join. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“Yeah, but you’re meeting other Mikaelsons,” Lizzie snickered. “Meeting the family is a big step, isn’t it?”

Ryan cast a sidelong look at her. “Why do you continue to be a pest?”

“Aw, come on, Muddy, it’s cute!” Lizzie cooed, “Getting all dressed up for Hope’s family.”

“I’m not dressed up,” Ryan said. “I wear this suit every day.”

“But this time, you combed your hair.”

“What are you two talking about?” Josie asked from Lizzie’s other side.

“Nothing of any importance,” Ryan scowled. Josie curled closer to her twin, a look of confusion and concern on her face. Ryan turned to face the road.

“Don’t be mean to Josie, Clarke,” Lizzie scolded him. “I was just teasing.”

“I just want to get this over with,” Ryan sighed. “The sooner everyone arrives, the sooner I can go into Malivore, and the sooner this will be over.”

“What do you think you’ll do after this?” Lizzie asked. “Will you go back to Triad?”

“As far as I know, Triad Industries is outdated and useless without a pit to throw any unsuspecting being in.”

“But like, didn’t it help people too?” she wondered. “There were monsters that hurt people.”

There were also good monsters in there too, as Hope liked to remind him. Ryan shrugged. “I suppose.”

“So will you do that? Keep helping people?” Lizzie needled.

“Lizzie,” Josie said in warning.

Ryan glanced at the twins, frowning, “I don’t know what I will do, Lizzie. I’ve never had a purpose outside of my father before.”

“There’s always Hope,” Lizzie suggested.

Josie watched him, like she was searching for some kind of explanation in his face.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore,” Ryan returned because he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. Hope could not be his sole purpose, although she did drive him to be better. No one person could be your sole desire and will. It would be unfair to Hope and in the end, it would hurt the both of them. So no, he didn’t know what he’d do with his life after this. But if Hope could be a part of it… 

As Ryan’s thoughts trailed off into something novel, a light blue car pulled up that looked like it belonged in the sixties. The top was down and Ryan spotted Freya at the wheel. Beside her was a beautiful black woman, Freya’s wife. In the back seat was a baby carrier and a handsome black man. Ryan was confused about the baby before he remembered that Freya and her wife had a child. 

“Clarke,” Freya greeted as she got out. “Good seeing you.”

“And you, thank you for coming.”

Freya picked up the baby carrier as the other two adults got out. “This is my wife, Keelin.” 

Freya’s wife waved at him from the other side of the car. “Hello.”

“And this is our friend Vincent.” Freya pointed at the man. “He’ll be one of the witches.”

“Nice to meet you,” Vincent piped up.

“Ah, thank you for coming.”

“Normally I don’t like getting into Mikaelson drama,” Vincent told him, “but the Ancestors all agree: Malivore needs to be stopped.”

Lizzie and Josie did their own greetings with the first group. They seemed to be more familiar with one another, probably because of some previous supernatural disaster. Freya and Keelin swapped their child in between them. From what Ryan could tell, the child was both adorable and named Nik. It was strange to see two loving parents, or even just one loving parent.

“Where’s Hope?” Freya asked. 

“Inside,” Ryan answered. “I believe she’s in the kitchens.”

“Oh, I’m hungry,” Keelin grinned. “Let’s eat.”

The four went inside, leaving Ryan with Josie and Lizzie. “That went well,” Ryan surmised.

“Those were the easy ones,” Lizzie said. “Just wait until the other witch arrives.”

The twins chatted for the next few minutes. Ryan watched as a white jeep pulled up. A beautiful woman with long blond hair left the drivers side. She wore a pink dress with off-shoulder bubble sleeves and flowers printed on the expensive outfit. Lizzie and Josie fell quiet as the woman approached him with arms stretched wide.

“Little king!” the woman cried in greeting.

“Florence,” Ryan returned as she swept him in a hug.

“Oh, how good it is to see you and _know_ you, my old friend,” the vampire cooed as she rocked him from side to side. 

“Yes, yes,” Ryan agreed, patting her on the back, “it’s great to see you too. You can let me go now.”

Florence was usually not this sentimental. Maybe she had a new paramour? There was no ring on her finger. “The last time we met, I was so confused how you knew about my times in the Vatican, I almost thought you were _there_!” Florence finally let him go, turning to the twins. “And to think, Ryan didn’t see my tits with that priest, but a century later in Perth!”

Lizzie gasped.

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Florence, we agreed to never speak of that again.”

Florence grinned and reached up to twirl a curl of his hair. “But, Ryan, that night was so special.”

“Oh my god, you had sex with _mud_?” Lizzie exclaimed. “Gross!”

“We did no such thing,” Ryan corrected. 

“I know,” Florence pouted. “Although I did try.”

“You were under a cupid spell,” Ryan explained. “You would’ve never flashed me if it wasn’t for Himeros.”

“Are you sure about that?” Florence winked. She turned to the girls and simpered. “Now, where can I find my quarters? I took one too many xanax for my flight here and I’m afraid I need to sleep it off.”

Ah, that explained it.

“Weren’t you just driving?” Josie gaped.

“And?”

Hope and Kaleb appeared from inside the school. “Kaleb!” Lizzie cheered, guiding Florence away from them. “Can you take Ms. King to her room.”

“Oh a little baby vampire!” Florence cooed as she swept into Kaleb’s arms. As he led her away, Ryan heard Florence confess, “You know, I have so many stories to tell about being a vampire in the middle ages, I must say…” 

Hope turned to Ryan after Florence was gone. “And who was _that_?”

“Some vampire named Florence,” Lizzie answered.

“Oh, so is that your lady friend?” Hope gave him a surprised look. “Florence?” He remembered telling her about Florence vaguely in Malivore but,

“Now I wouldn’t call her a lady friend--”

“They’ve seen each other naked,” Lizzie interjected.

Hope opened her mouth.

“No!” Ryan defended. “I only saw _her_ naked--”

Hope gasped. “That’s even worse!”

“He turned _her_ down,” Lizzie added. “Did you see her? I think she’s a model.”

“Lizzie, shut,” Ryan growled, “up!” 

“Mom!” Josie suddenly shouted. All three of them turned to the road where their next guest arrived, a young blonde woman. Lizzie and Josie both darted off to meet Caroline Forbes, founder of the school, and apparently their mother, leaving Ryan to Hope.

“About what you just heard…” Ryan started.

Hope wasn’t looking at him and had crossed her arms. “What’s there to say? She’s really beautiful.”

“Sure, but,” Ryan fumbled, unsure of what to say, “nothing went on between us.”

“Okay.” Hope shrugged.

“Okay?”

“Okay,” Hope repeated. 

“I feel like your mad at me.”

“I’m not,” Hope said. “Why would I be?”

Ryan decided that zipping his lips would probably be a good idea. Caroline, Josie, and Lizzie moved their talking to inside the house, with barely a moment’s glance at him and Hope. They stood on the stump quietly for the next few minutes as the last of their guests arrived. Ryan was expecting only one car to appear, as they now had pretty much everyone they were waiting for, but two cars, both expensive pulled up to the boarding school at the same time and parked before them. Out of the first car came Kol Mikaelson, who Ryan remembered from the time he drained Ryan of all his blood, and beside him a beautiful young brunette.

“Uncle Kol!” Hope smiled as she approached the pair. “Aunt Davina!” And from the other car, emerged a stunning blonde woman and an equally handsome black man. “Aunt Bex!” Hope declared, exchanging hugs. She even hugged the other man with a soft, “Marcel!”

As Kol Mikaelson began to tease the blonde woman, Ryan came to the startling realization that this was his sister, Rebekah Mikaelson. But, based on the rings on their fingers, neither of which were daylight rings, they weren’t vampires. Were they humans?

“And this is Ryan Clarke,” Hope introduced, bringing the four over and drawing him out of his thoughts. “Ryan helped me escape Malivore.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Ryan Clarke,” Rebekah said as she shook his hand.

“Ryan Clarke,” Kol hummed, looking at him strangely, “you look familiar.”

“I have that sort of face,” Ryan grinned. Kol would figure it out on his own. “Thank you for coming, although I wasn’t expecting you two.” He nodded at Rebekah and Marcel.

“What can we say?” Marcel grinned. “Can never go too long without some Mikaelson drama pulling us back in.”

“Hush now, darling,” Rebekah scolded. “I haven’t seen Hope in so long. We missed Memorial Day in the Hamptons, which is a travesty all on its own.”

Hope nodded her hand sagely. “It really is.”

“No matter,” Ryan cleared his throat. “I’m looking forward to seeing this all play out.”

“We all are,” Davina said, her voice taking a strange edge. Kol hugged her to him, like Marcel was doing to Rebekah. The two couples looked upon Ryan and Hope, who was now standing at his side, with interest. 

Maybe Ryan should’ve worn a fancier suit? No, there was no reason to give Lizzie Saltzman the satisfaction. This was nothing more than a group of allies meeting for the first time before their big quest. Ryan gestured to the door. “Shall we?”

* * *

**_Salvatore Dining Hall…_ **

Kol was not one for high schools. Colleges? Sorority girls? Back in the old days, Kol would give anything to have his fangs in a couple necks of drunk Katies and Stacies. But, as a happily married man, Kol was not inclined to return to the types of places that inspired stupidity such as high school. The meal that was set up for them was extravagant, well cooked for a school, but Kol could do without the stares of the rest of the student body at him and his family.

All of the adults that were invited for Hope’s Malivore ritual were clustered around one end of the dining table, while the teens were all sequestered to the other end. Kol didn’t mind because it gave him plenty of opportunity to poke at Rebekah, Marcel, and Freya, but it did strike him as odd that the Ryan Clarke fellow was at the other end with the children. Or rather, he was squeezed between Hope and the blonde twin, and he seemed like he desperately wanted to escape the whole affair. 

Kol couldn’t stop himself from staring at the man. He wanted to know how he fit into today’s events. Davina had explained on the car ride from the airport that Ryan Clarke was the child of Malivore, but something about him still felt off. Or rather familiar. He could’ve sworn he’d met the man before. He had a sort of rat’s face, which would be recognizable, but it was his frame that caught Kol’s eye. He reminded him of a stick figure almost. Tall, slightly broad shoulders, round face, shoes that almost made him look like a duck. But a different image came to his mind, one of him in frilly coats.

Ah.

“Clarke!” Kol called, leaning towards the end of the table. Conversation scattered and dimmed as the two men look at each other. _“_ Indossi la maschera e balli il veleno?” Kol asked, which roughly translated to _Do you wear the mask and drink the poison?_ This was the famous battle cry of the Venetian royalty at the time when Kol had been feeding on its noblewomen.

“Si, io e il mio conte indossiamo la maschera con orgoglio,” Ryan returned, which meant _Yes, my count, and I wear the mask with pride._

“Il tuo sangue sa di terra,” Kol told him. _Your blood tastes of the earth._

“Si, sono fango,” Ryan said. _Yes, I am mud._

Davina elbowed him. “What are you two talking about?” 

“Something about mud and blood?” Rebekah squinted at the pair. At the other end of the table, Ryan was trying to explain to Hope what they were saying.

“I know that guy!” Kol laughed as settled in his seat, “He’s great!”

“And how, pray tell, do _you_ know him?” Rebekah asked. Kol briefly explained the Venetian ball he met Ryan at in 1763, much to Davina’s annoyance. She preferred hearing his tales of magic, not his stories of vampirism, even if he was still a vampire. “Is he a nice fellow? Is he worthy of our, Hope?”

“I don’t know about that,” Kol shrugged, “but his blood is different than I’ve ever tasted.”

The woman across him, a beautiful blond who had been giggling during Ryan and Kol’s italian exchange, piped up, “Yes, he tastes of moss and the fresh rain in the forest.”

“You’ve tasted him too?” Kol grinned.

“Oh, Ryan and I go way back,” the woman, Florence, divulged. “I do favors for him often in exchange for his blood. I like to bottle it up and ship to my friends. He makes an excellent after-dinner treat.”

“I am so confused,” Rebekah declared, giving up. “Can one of you just tell me if he’s a good man? Hope has been eying him like Marcel at a pint of ice cream and I need to know if I need to arrange a murder?”

Alaric Saltzman and the two witch teachers shifted uncomfortably in their seats, which led Kol to believe that this Ryan Clarke fellow wasn’t good news for their niece. Caroline Forbes looked indifferent and Florence was busy sipping her wine. And yet, it was Freya who spoke up, “I think Clarke is complicated, yet respectable.”

“How similar is he to Niklaus?” Rebekah asked.

“He looks like an Elijah,” Marcel decided.

“He’s…” Freya shrugged. “A bit of both?”

“I thought she was dating that Landon fellow,” Rebekah pointed at one of the other boys at the table. He had curly hair, looked surprisingly like Clarke, and was currently glaring at Clarke.

“They broke up,” Freya explained. 

“Well, I like him,” Kol decided, “he tastes great.”

“I don’t think you can judge the character of a man on his blood type,” Rebekah scolded. 

“If you were still a vampire, dear sister, I would prove you wrong. If you ever change your mind, feel free to come to me. I’ll make it easy on you and Marcel.” Kol winked.

“Well, he was nice at the door,” Vincent said. “That’s good enough for now.”

“And he gave us the spell,” Keelin pointed out.

“He did help our daughters,” Caroline told Saltzman quietly, although the vampires all heard.

“He’s still Malivore’s son,” the man returned.

Kol snorted. “If we were to judge based on our parents, than Hope as Niklaus’s child, is just as evil.”

Saltzman closed his mouth.

Davina laughed quietly beside him.

* * *

**_Mystical Falls Town Square…_ **

Ryan sat next to the pit. Strange that such a tiny portal had led to Hope and his escape. It must’ve stretched and shrunk again, to account for monsters and those entering it. He felt weird sitting by the pit, especially because the humans of Mystic Falls kept glancing at their little crowd. Standing around him were seven witches, five vampires, three wolves, three humans, a tribrid, and his stupid brother. Ryan didn’t understand why Landon felt the need to come as he wasn’t a part of their plan. But then again, Landon would want to put down their father as much as anyone because Malivore was trying to hijack him. Still, he’d rather not have Landon here, and especially not have him glaring at Ryan the entire time.

“The spell Clarke found was used to create Malivore,” Freya explained as she passed out pieces of paper to everyone else. “The spell is _huc loto, obligamus simul et ortum, nunc vadam, devorabit inimicos nostros, Malivore_. The counterspell is the same spell said backwards. I’ve written down the spell for you all and we will practice it.”

“Why do we have to say the spell?” one of the werewolves, Jed, asked as he stared at the slip of paper. “We’re not magic.”

“The spell will require all of us to feed our energy,” Freya said. “With the new moon happening tonight, we will be able to place all the energy into this ring.” Freya held up a simple band of silver. “Once released, this ring will cause Malivore to collapse. Clarke will take the ring and put it at the heart of Malivore. Hope will help him.”

Landon scoffed. “Why not just cast some kind of GPS spell or something. Why does she have to go in with him?”

“Once Ryan enters the pit, any magical connection he has to this side will be lost. If Hope were to create a beacon item, it would require her continuous magical input.” Freya frowned, glancing at her niece. “Unfortunately, Hope has to go in if she is going to help Ryan find the heart of Malivore.” The heart being Ryan’s father.

“I also want to go in the pit,” Hope piped up, glaring at Landon for a moment. “Because I also want to help some of the creatures escape.” At Alaric’s sputtering, Hope continued. “There are creatures down there that don’t deserve to die: selkies, nymphs, even a Cerberus we came across.”

Ryan smiled briefly.

Hope held up a necklace for those to see. “Vincent and Davina helped me make this. It’ll draw in any creatures with benevolent intent and wards away monsters. I want to help those creatures escape before Malivore is destroyed.”

“I still think this is a dangerous plan,” Alaric said. “What if the ring bomb goes off before you get to the portal? We’ll lose you too.”

“Oh!” Lizzie cried. “Me! Me!” Ryan had to stifle a laugh as the Saltzman twin stumbled to the front of their crowd. “Josie and I made these bracelets. They’ll open a portal for a _brief_ moment, but they’ll bring you here. The only catch,” Lizzie admitted as she handed him and Hope the bracelets, “is that it can only bring one person. Sorry.” Lizzie made an awkward face. “I didn’t know your hero complex extended to Malivore, so we didn’t make it a big portal. And, I doubt Mud is saving anyone but himself.”

Ryan returned her words with a tight-lipped smile. “You know me so well.”

Lizzie smirked.

“What I don’t get,” Marcel brought up, “is how you'll expect us to not start swinging once we see a monster come up if we lose our memories.”

“Every witch will be given the memory spell Josie found,” Freya said. “One of us will do the spell once we forget. We also will know that someone has entered the pit because we will all be here when it happens and once we forget, we will find it odd that we’re all here.”

“And,” Florence called, “I put a calendar reminder on my phone!” The vampire, now returned to her old self (more distant and eccentric rather than clingy and eclectic) waved her iPhone at the rest of the group. “Oh, how I love twenty-first century technology.”

Ryan grinned.

“Anymore questions?” Freya wondered.

As the group began to discuss the finer points of the plan, Ryan inspected the bracelet Lizzie and Josie had made for him. It was a simple bronze cuff with Arabic runes etched on it. Ryan’s knowledge of the language was pretty sparse, so he could not translate it. He was still touched that the twins would make him a bracelet, although it was only logical after they made one for Hope. If for some reason the ring bomb went off before they reached the core of Malivore, Hope would be safe. The bomb would still render Malivore a trapped void, but the creatures inside would be able to continue on. It would be better for them all if they died in one swoop. No agony to endure. And the creatures with good intentions would be drawn to Hope and out of the shadows.

Ryan looked at those helping them. The seven witches were Freya, Lizzie, Josie, Vincent, Davina, and Dorian and Emma from the Salvatore School. The vampires involved were Florence, MG, Kaleb, Kol, and Caroline. The wolves were Keelin, Jed, and Landon’s friend Rafael. The spell would be aided by the influence of two Mikaelsons, the blood ties between Hope, Freya, and Kol, as well as the blood ties between the Saltzman twins and their mother. There were other powerful elements at play here: Vincent and Davina were both regents of the New Orlean’s magical community and Florence had once been a sage when she was alive. The power here, plus Hope’s abilities, would make the ring strong.

But even Ryan knew it would not be enough. He knew what needed to be done. It was a gamble, but it was well worth it.

* * *

**_Mystic Falls…_ **

Landon scoffed as they walked back to campus. Raf was to his right and Josie was holding him by his side. “I can’t believe the nerve of that guy.”

“Who?”Josie asked. 

“Agent Clarke,” Landon bit out. “He shows up with a crazy spell to defeat Malivore all of the sudden and we’re supposed to trust him now? How is that supposed to work?”

“He got the spell from Santa,” Josie said. “And I mean, Clarke’s helped me with the black magic stuff. I think that makes him trustworthy.”

Landon kicked at the rocks of pavement. Rafael was suspiciously quiet beside him. “But he kidnapped me! And he tried to kill me and he got my _mom_ killed and he helped raise Malivore in the first place! How can we excuse that?” The anger ate him up inside. Whenever he saw Agent Clarke, his face so similar to Landon’s, laughing with Hope by his side, Landon wanted to snap his neck. Agent Clarke had no right to be friends with Hope and he had no right being the hero of _any_ story. 

“You don’t have to excuse it,” Josie said, trying to comfort him. “But he has changed, we can all see that. Holding in your hatred will only poison you from the inside out. Clarke is on our side.”

“But he killed people!” Landon yelled frustrated. “He’s a monster!”

Raf flinched. “I killed people,” he muttered dangerously.

“What?” 

“I said,” Raf straightened up. “I killed people, Landon. I killed Cassie, remember?”

“Yeah, but that was an accident--”

“It doesn’t matter,” Raf said, “every wolf at school killed someone. Plenty of us killed people and if it wasn’t people, than it was monsters. That doesn’t mean Clarke was right or whatever, but dude, I’ve been listening to you bitch and moan about this guy for weeks.”

Landon gaped.

Raf chuckled weakly. “Landon man, what’s this guy got to do to get you off his back? He helped Hope out in Malivore, he let you punch him, and he helped your girl from getting hit with black magic. I don’t know what else he can do for you to get you to be square.”

Landon huffed and looked away. He wanted to storm off, but both Josie and Raf would get mad at him. But he was still mad, at Clarke, at Hope for being friends with him, at the whole Malivore thing. “It doesn’t make up for all the terrible things he did to me,” Landon repeated.

* * *

**_Salvatore Schoolgrounds…._ **

Ryan stood in the back part of the Salvatore school, under the dark and empty moon, and watched as their plan came to fruition. The seven witches stood in a circle with the arms stretched so their fingers could touch and the circle closed. Then within the witch circle stood the five vampires, hands held, as they looked on at the three wolves within their circle. And at the center of all these circles stood Hope. She held the ring up to where the moon would be and chanted with the rest of their group.

 _“Nostros inimicos devorabit, vadam nunc, ortum et simul obligamus loot huc!”_ she breathed. Ryan couldn’t pull his eyes off of her as the energy of the three circles flowed into her and to the ring. A mystical glow wrapped around her, making her hair shine a bright red and her eyes were golden as the spell coursed through her.

On the outskirts of the clearing stood Principal Saltzman, Rebekah and Marcel, Landon, and him. Ryan was too busy staring at Hope to notice the eyes of others as they chanted the spell three more times. The witches let go of one another, then the vampires chanted a last time before releasing too, the wolves doing the same, until it was just Hope saying one last prayer for the ring. When it was done, the group of chanters congratulated and spoke amongst each other, mingling with the others in the clearing. Hope spoke with them for some time before venturing over to Ryan, where he remained alone.

“We did it,” she grinned, presenting the ring to him. It was a simple band of silver with two floating triangles near the top so that it almost looked like horns. Freya had added those elements to it so that it could be activated by Ryan. The little horns floated with a thin silver outline. When it came time to activate, Ryan was supposed to twist the ring around and clench his fist so the horns could prick his blood. The floating triangles would turn red and it would explode after.

Ryan inspected the ring with interest, saying, “Don’t get ahead of yourself, we still have plenty to do.”

“We got this,” Hope brushed off. “Dorian and Emma are making a potion for us to drink before we go in that’ll make our journey go faster.”

“So many accessories,” Ryan drawled. He handed her back the ring. She would hold onto it for now. “Kids these days. It’s like glamping when we should be camping.”

The larger group began to head inside the school, still chatting among themselves. Hope and Ryan followed along. He was surprised that she stayed with him instead of going ahead. They’d be stuck together for the near future, it’d be a good idea for her to spend most of her time with her friends and family.

“I heard Alaric is letting you stay the night at the school?” 

“It seems Principal Saltzman believes I’ll run into the pit without you now that we have the ring and bracelets. As much as he doesn’t like you going into Malivore,” Ryan divulged, “he hates to see me unsupervised.”

“Well I’m glad,” Hope said. “Because I wanted to ask you something?”

“Oh?” Ryan raised a brow as they crossed the threshold into the school.

“I think we should do the bonding spell, tonight,” Hope said firmly. Ryan opened his mouth in surprise. “And before you ask why, we were both stronger in there with it and so we should’ve done it way sooner the first time we were in Malivore.”

“I was going to say it sounds like a great idea,” Ryan said instead. “Shall we do it here?”

Hope blushed. “Uh, no let’s um, do it in your room.”

Ryan raised a brow and Kaleb snickered in passing. Hope glared at the vampire before he waltzed away. Ryan nodded and followed her to his guest room. He didn’t know how she knew where he was staying, but it gave him some time to ponder over her reaction. He knew the bonding spell they used was a more intimate variation, but it was for the purposes of increasing Hope’s power. It wouldn’t be any different than the last time they did it, only that it would last longer. As they entered his bland room—Ryan had only brought a spare set of clothes and toiletries—Hope began to fidget and pace. Ryan sat on the bed and waited for her to speak.

“So I was talking with my Aunt Freya,” Hope started, “about how to make the spell more powerful and effective and she said that because it’s inherently an intimacy spell, intimacy increases it.”

Ryan felt his own cheeks burn. “Increase the intimacy?”

“Yeah,” Hope continued, trying to act calm, “last time we held hands, so this time we should…” 

Ryan felt keenly aware that he was on a bed. He stood up. Did she want to hold hands again but closer? Kiss? Have sex? Ryan hadn’t imagined anything like that with her, except only late at night and he couldn’t avoid it. “So you want to…?” 

“Hug!” she said quickly. “We should, um, hug or something.”

“Or something?” Ryan was dumbfounded. What did she want…?

“You know what? This was a stupid idea!” Hope decided, turning away.

“Hope, wait,” Ryan reached out. Hope slowly returned to facing him. “I can do a hug,” he said softly, pulling her closer to him.

“Oh,” she whispered as she settled into his arms. Ryan and Hope sunk into the warmth of the other. She was pressed close to him, her head burrowed under his chin. They shuffled even closer to each other, relaxing, drawing in the warmth.

Ryan sighed in bliss because for a moment it felt like she was hugging him and not him hugging her. And he liked having her in his arms, even if it reminded him of the last time they truly hugged, just before they left and after their loss of Vali. But this was contentment. This was a moment purely for them.

“You know,” Ryan drawled after their hug continued and Hope did nothing, “if you wanted a hug, you didn’t have to use a bonding spell as a ploy…”

“Shut up,” she said, tensing up in embarrassment.

“Don’t be like that,” Ryan murmured. “This is very nice.” He kissed the top of her head and he felt her relax again in her arms.

Her fingers played with the fabric of his coat as she stepped even closer and began to murmur. “ _Animam meam, ut animam tuam,_ ” her magic began to creep within him again. “ _Animae meae anima vestra._ ” Ryan leaned back to watch her eyes glow. She stared up at him, her eyes a bright blue as she continued, “ _Virtus enim tua potestate mea."_ Ryan leaned in closer. Her eyes flickered to his lips and then fell shut. Her body froze as she waited for him to make a move, breathing the words, " _V_ _irtus enim,_ ” as Ryan pressed his lips to her forehead, like he had in Malivore, “ _tua potestate mea,"_ she finished with a sigh, “ _Ryan._ ”

He could not speak, much less move as the bond formed between them. It was just as consuming and powerful as last time with her emotions flooding through him as his went through her. It felt like returning home.

But this time was different. He felt like his mind wasn’t alone, not that he could hear her thoughts, only that they were in tune with one another. And he could taste more of her memories, this time more clearly than the vague awareness he had last time. He remembered the first time she ate a beignet, the first date she went on with Landon, the night her father died, her first kiss, her eleventh birthday with her mother, how it felt to lose Vali, how she cried the first time she heard the radio when she came back from the pit. These memories whisked through him, barely giving him a moment to breathe, as she overwhelmed his very being.

And he knew, with a tinge of sadness, that she was receiving memories from him just the same and that most were unpleasant than anything else. They were still holding each other, unable to let go. Ryan thought he could never be without her. And that the bonding spell was the best and worst thing to ever happen to him.

“You like candles,” Hope murmured against his chest finally.

Ryan chuckled weakly. “I do.”

“And Gary was like a father to you,” Hope continued.

“I guess he was,” Ryan admitted.

“And Florence,” Hope looked at him in surprise, “she really is just a friend isn’t she.”

“I know you can feel my memories,” he told her, “you know everything you saw was true.”

“You wanted to leave Mystic Falls, but you didn’t.” Hope blinked, eyes almost wet. “Why not?”

“Hope Mikaelson,” Ryan started, “did you perform a marriage bond just so you could know my deepest, darkest secrets?”

“Stop calling it that,” she blushed, looking away.

Ryan smirked. “I know things about you too,” he said, which seemed to frighten her, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t have questions too. Ask and I will answer.”

“What are you going to do after this is all done?” Hope asked. “When Malivore’s gone? Are you going to leave?”

 _Are you going to leave me?_ He could feel her unspoken question.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. 

“I don’t want you to go.”

“You haven’t lost me,” Ryan said. “We made a deal in Malivore, and maybe I’ve broken it, but I’ll make a new deal with you, and I promise I won’t.”

“I’m scared about tomorrow,” Hope she said suddenly. “What if we see your brothers again?”

“We can take them.”

Hope tightened her grip on him again, burrowing her head in his chest. “Promise me it’ll be okay.”

Even Ryan knew that was a difficult deal to make. But he did anyway. “Everything will go according to plan,” he promised. His heart felt heavy, but it felt better holding her for a moment longer.

* * *

**_Salvatore School Guestrooms…._ **

Nik had just gone down for the night. Vincent had offered to watch over him for the night, but Keelin didn’t want to be too far from the pup. Keelin was currently in the shower and Freya was about to settle into bed when she heard a knock on her door. Freya crossed her cardigan over her nightgown and went to the door. Standing outside was a nervous golem.

“Clarke,” Freya said in surprise, “what are you doing here?”

“The spell isn’t strong enough,” Clarke told her.

“We used sixteen supernaturals to make that spell,” Freya said. “We had an Original vampire, two siphoners, and two regents on that spell. Hope was there. _I_ was there. The spell is plenty powerful.”

“But you and I both know spells bound in blood are stronger,” he said. “What good is that bomb if it doesn’t have a piece of Malivore in it.”

Freya opened the door. Clarke stepped inside, hands in his pocket. Freya closed the door behind him and crossed her arms. “So what are you saying? We use Landon’s blood?”

“I was thinking we used mine,” Clarke suggested. “Landon’s evolved past a golem. He’s more human than mud.” He pulled out the enchanted ring.

“I thought Hope had that.”

“I snagged it when I saw her earlier, it’ll make the ring more effective. If we use my blood. I’m his son, whether he likes it or not, so this will hurt him.”

Something about what he told her was odd. He was trying to gloss over details. “Why were you with Hope earlier?” Freya asked. Clarke froze, still holding the ring up to the light. “Clarke?” Freya pressed, “What were you doing with my niece?”

“We were just…” Clarke stumbled with his words. “Hope performed a spell, for when we got into Malivore.” 

Freya didn’t recall Hope telling her about any spell she planned to perform for Malivore. They’d all agreed that Hope needed to rest up so she wouldn’t exert herself before she got into Malivore. Why was Clarke acting so skittish? “What kind of spell?” she repeated, eyes narrowing. “Clarke.”

“It’s just a simple bonding spell,” he said, “just something to increase Hope’s power. It didn’t tie our lives to each other, so if I die she won’t.”

Freya’s mouth opened. “The Union Spell?” Freya questioned. “For newlyweds?” At Clarke’s gulp, she had her answer. Freya remembered Hope asking about the marriage bond spell over breakfast because Rebekah had made a comment about Kol and Davina acting like newlyweds. At the time, Freya had no idea Hope would _use_ it. “Why would she do that?”

“Hope said it increased her powers,” Ryan said. “Nothing else.” Freya distinctly recalled Hope asking for ways to increase the power of the spell. Had she…? Freya knew her niece better than that.

“I’m not doing the spell,” Freya decided.

Clarke frowned. “Why not?”

“If you activate it while you’re still in Malivore, you _will_ die, Clarke.” Freya shook her head. “The spell’s strong already.”

“Why does it matter if I live or die?” Clarke asked. “It only matters that Malivore’s gone for good.”

“You just told me my niece willingly bound herself to you.”

“She won’t die if I die,” Clarke reassured. 

“That’s not what I mean.” Freya laughed. She knew that. Could he be that oblivious? “A bonding spell like that doesn’t work like that unless…” Freya gestured at him. He tilted his head in confusion. “Unless there are _feelings_ , Clarke.”

“Oh!” Ryan blinked, shifted on his feet, cleared his throat in embarrassment. “It’s okay, it’s only one-sided.” 

“And that’s supposed to make it any better?” Freya scoffed. “You’re okay with leaving Hope heartbroken if you die? Because I’m certainly not.”

“No, I meant,” Clarke laughed weakly, “it’s only on my side.”

Freya doubted that. 

“I told you that before,” Clarke said, “when we first met. That I cared for her. I’ll do whatever it takes to end Malivore. Not just for her, but for me. So please, do the spell, Freya.”

Freya bit her lip, considering him. Clarke watched her, his brown eyes pleading. “Fine,” Freya muttered, snatching the ring out of his hand. “But you better not die while you’re down there. I was starting to like you.”

The man smirked and Freya rolled her eyes as she led him to a basin in the corner of the room. Next to it lay one of Keelin’s knives. Freya placed the ring in the bowl and picked up the blade. She drew Clarke in closer by the hand and drew the blade across his palm. He hissed as his blood fell and painted the ring. When the ring was properly covered, Freya whispered a spell that would bind Ryan’s blood to the ring. She prayed that he wasn’t in Malivore when anything happened. When it was done, she whispered a healing spell as well and the wound on his hand cleared. The ring also returned to its original shiny state.

“Don’t be stupid,” Freya said as she handed it over.

“I won’t,” he promised, taking the ring. “Thank you, Freya.” He started moving to the door.

“And Ryan?” Freya called. He stopped. “A piece of advice: when you and Hope escape Malivore and break the spell, tell her that she shouldn’t be playing with a bonding spell like that until her actual wedding day.” At the surprised look on his face, she explained, “It makes it very difficult to undo the more you do it. I wouldn’t want you to be stuck with one-sided feelings, Ryan.” Although, Freya had reason to suspect that Hope did have feelings for Ryan, even if she wasn’t quite ready to tell him about them. One couldn’t perform the Union Spell without it after all. 

“I will,” Clarke nodded. 

He left shortly after that. Keelin came out of the shower, wondering who had been in their room. Freya curled up with her wife and told her about Ryan. Keelin lamented that all immortals were silly and oblivious. Freya couldn’t help but agree. Ryan Clarke reminded Freya of her departed siblings. It was as if he’d taken the demons of Klaus, the self hatred of Finn, and the repression of Elijah into his muddy form. But, he was also the best of them, Freya reasoned, because he was fiercely protective of Hope’s happiness, could admit his own feelings, and was more willing to change. Ryan needed a family, Freya realized, people to love him without reason or condition. Always and forever. And Hope was a part of that family. And, as the Mikaelsons came together again, Freya realized that she could be a part of Ryan’s family too. Or rather, he a part of theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope: we need to...increase...intimacy...for the spell to work  
> Ryan: oh?
> 
> all of us: pls have sex


	6. Caute Enim Revertetur (We Return with Caution)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destroying Malivore comes with a cost. Are Ryan and Hope willing to pay for it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS!!!  
> There are brief mentions of rape (because Malivore is awful) and like some gore... :)

**_Mystical Falls Town Square…_ **

Lizzie couldn’t believe that her dad got the mayor to convince the sheriff to keep the town square clear for a couple days without telling Sheriff Mac about their supernatural stuff. If Lizzie could vote, she’d be sure to keep Mayor Donovan in office next session. The morning after their crazy moon ritual, their crew took to the town square to set up white tents around the portal’s perimeter. This was so they could hide whatever popped out of the Malivore portal from normal people. 

She felt super smart as she prepped her jug of iced coffee for the day. If she was going to be chilling out by an extra dimension hell portal all day, she wanted to be well-hydrated for the occasion. Even though everyone had performed the spell last night, and weren’t needed anymore, people still wanted to wait by the portal until it was finished. Lizzie understood the Mikaelson crew wanting to stay, but Raf, Jed, Kaleb, and Landon really had no business being here. Lizzie rolled her eyes as the boys talked among themselves. MG was here too, which he really didn’t need to be, but Lizzie didn’t mind. Milton had scrounged up her favorite pastries from the nearby bakery, so he could stay. 

Even Florence, Clarke’s weird vampire friend, was going to camp out while Hope saved the day. Lizzie was kind of excited for it. After coming down from her weird Xanax binge, Florence was much cooler and elusive, but Lizzie was still dying to know if Ryan Clarke had somehow charmed the beautiful vampire or any embarrassing stories she had about their resident mud man. Lizzie was firm in her belief that Mudmeo was a repressed boy with a crush and had a big old heart for Hope Mikaelson and that if she poked and prodded at him enough, it would work out in the end. Plus, Lizzie would gain a friend who knew how to take down monsters and had been around for the French Revolution (Lizzie hated history classes.)

Now, if Florence could be that friend instead, good-bye Ryan Clarke! Although, Lizzie had spotted Florence batting her eyelashes at the dinner table, which was _not_ _on_ as far as Lizzie could tell. If Josie wasn’t so wrapped up in her Hobbit, Lizzie would totally come up with a plan to make their dad as undateable as possible. The man had enough trouble dealing with the school, them, and Hope Mikaelson to get it on with some centuries old vampire that liked to wear Cartier like it was Walmart. Then again, if that vampire was having a closet giveaway… 

The only people that weren’t here, surprise surprise, was Hope and Ryan. They were doing last remarks with Dad and Hope’s aunt. Lizzie felt pretty confident in their plan. She had made those portal bracelets after all, so they obviously had to succeed. The only concern Lizzie had was about the whole forgetting those that end up in Malivore thing, but she’d drawn reminders on her hands with markers, so it would be kind of hard to avoid. Plus, Lizzie had drawn reminders (and a bunch of flowers and smiley faces) on MG’s arm, so they had this in the bag.

“Are you going to drink all of that?” MG asked, nodding at her gallon of iced tea.

Lizzie poured herself a glass, and at MG’s puppy dog eyes, one for him too. “Yes.” Lizzie flicked her hair behind her shoulder. “How can you all doubt me when iced coffee is the best?” Lizzie clinked her glass to his to prove a point.

“You right,” MG said after taking a sip. MG crossed his arms and nodded at the portal in the ground. “How long do you think it’ll take them to get through it?”

“It took them a couple months when they were down there last time. Hope said that most of their delays were because of monsters and because she was unfamiliar with the path. With the speed potion, the beacon necklace, and with both Ryan and Hope knowing where to go?” Lizzie shrugged. “I give it a day, maybe two.”

“I thought it was going to be closer to a week.”

“You wanna bet on it?” Lizzie offered. “Loser takes winner to the movie of their choice.” They were making a reboot of the Spy Kids franchise and Lizzie _needed_ to know how Carmen got her revenge in this one. 

“Deal.” MG and Lizzie bumped fists, their way of shaking on it. After they settled back in their seats, MG looked at her curiously. “Are you just going to camp out here everyday?” MG asked. 

“That’s the plan.” Lizzie slurped her coffee.

“Don’t we have a math exam on Thursday?” 

“Do we?” Lizzie said innocently.

“Lizzie,” MG shook his head. “Kirkland isn’t going to let you miss it. It’s on factorials.”

“I think he’ll understand that I needed to be here for my best friend in these trying times,” Lizzie defended.

MG squinted at her. “I thought you hated Hope?”

“Who said it was Hope?” Lizzie smirked. 

“You expect me to believe you like Clarke?”

“Not just like him, MG,” she said gravely, “I’m in _love_ with him!”

MG grimaced. “I know you’re just messing with me, but that’s gross.”

“I’m not joking, MG,” Lizzie teased, snickering. “Have you seen that face? Sculpted from mud!” Lizzie swooned dramatically, as that was her power of choice. “And those legs, they can stretch on for miles. And don’t get me started on his hands, MG, you know what they say about big hands.”

MG gagged.

“And what, pray tell, do they say about my hands?” came a voice from behind her.

Lizzie smirked and turned around. “Hello, Mudmeo, what a _pleasure_ it is to see you here.”

Her favorite mud man (because come _on_ Landon) stood in front of her, wearing something decidedly less expensive than a suit. Black slacks and a loose button up. He also had on a jacket, much like the kind her dad wore when he went monster hunting. Beside him was Hope, who wore something similar in her jeans and her red jacket. The only interesting thing, as far as Lizzie could tell, were the knives strapped to each of them. Ready for battle it seemed.

“And you,” Clarke returned. “Although I must say I’m spoken for.”

“Oh?” Lizzie grinned evilly, glancing between him and Hope. “Since when?”

“I spoke to Caroline over breakfast,” he smirked, “she thinks what I’m doing today is _wonderful_. Clearly we are to be married by sundown.”

Lizzie scoffed as Hope elbowed him. Mudmeo burst into laughter, a sound Lizzie had _never_ heard before. It was surprisingly bright and joyous. Based on Hope’s expression, it was the first time she’d seen it. Although Lizzie liked to rib at Agent Ryan for his obvious affection for their savior, she had to appreciate that Hope seemed to like him too.

“Are you ready for this?” Lizzie asked Hope.. “Going back into Malivore? Having to spend hours with that guy?” Lizzie nodded at Ryan.

Hope smiled. “I think I’ll be fine, Lizzie.”

“Well, don’t forget about Josie and I’s totally awesome bracelets,” Lizzie reminded her. “I had to siphon a lot of the school just to do it, so you’re not allowed to die.”

“I won’t die, Lizzie.”

“Good.” Lizzie crossed her arms and tilted her head from the pair in front of her to the pit. “I guess you’ll be saying your goodbyes then.”

“I guess I will,” Hope said, “although it won’t be for long.”

Here’s hoping.

Hope and Ryan left them at that. Ryan went over to the portal entrance while Hope spoke to her family one last time. Their group began to crowd the pit of Malivore. Emma and Dorian cast a spell on it to stretch it for when Ryan and Hope went in and to make sure it didn’t close up as soon as they entered. Hope and Ryan stepped up to the edge.

“You ready, partner?” Ryan asked, holding his hand out to her.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Hope said, taking it. The two stepped closer to one another. It looked surprisingly intimate to Lizzie. _Damn, the boy can get it._ For a moment Lizzie could imagine them standing at the alter, which should’ve been strange, but wasn’t. “Any last words?” Hope asked.

He laughed. Was that some kind of inside joke? “See you on the other side.”

Then they tilted over the edge.

By the time Lizzie blinked, she was staring at a black tar pit in confusion. Around her, a bunch of supernaturals were standing by. What was her mom doing here? And was that Kol Mikaelson? Lizzie looked at MG in confusion. 

“What are we doing here?” Lizzie asked.

“I thought I--” MG scratched at his head, clearly at a loss. That’s when Lizzie saw it: her handwriting on his skin surrounded by a bunch of flowers and smiley faces. She wondered what it said.

* * *

**_Malivore…_ **

This time when they showed up in Malivore, Ryan and Hope were still drawn together. They stood in the center of the dark zone, the void of black warped around them. Ryan licked his lips, still tasting the effects of the speed potion he’d taken with Hope. He could do without the taste of frogs in his mouth, thank you. Hope’s pendant, his ring, and their bracelets glowed brightly for a moment in the darkness before settling back to their normal shades. Hope withdrew her hands from him.

“So,” she clapped her hands together, “we’re back.”

“Unfortunately,” Ryan agreed. “But it’ll be easier this time.”

“I can see the blue glow this time,” Hope told him, nodding at the string of Malivore that threaded through the maze. 

“Told you I wasn’t lying.”

“Yeah, I still used a bit of a truth spell on you,” Hope admitted, “nothing permanent, but you know.” She laughed at his outraged look. “I took it off as soon as I realized you weren’t out to kill me.”

“And when was that?” Ryan asked. “When we left Malivore?”

“No!” Hope laughed. “After the Cerberus thing.” He wanted to ask more, but Hope began to walk in the direction of the maze line. “I trust you, Ryan, I promise. We should get going.”

“Is there a hot date waiting for you on the other side?” he teased, catching up. Across the bond, he could feel her repressed laughter.

“Not as far as I can tell,” was all she said.

_When this is over…_

They began their walk through the void. Nothing came across their path and their journey was much quicker this time than the last time. “Where do you think everyone is?”

“A lot of the monsters we came across were in this zone,” Ryan reminded her. “I’d be surprised if anyone good came here in these parts.”

Their journey continued to be easy as they passed into the dead forest. The moment they stepped over the black line and into the grass, a unicorn approached them. Hope laughed at the sight of it, but as it was harmless, she was fine with it joining. Ryan was wary for a moment, only to be distracted by three satyrs that joined them. The three were friendly enough, and one of them spoke English (the other two spoke Dutch) and Hope was able to explain the situation to them.

After the satyrs came a couple of tree nymphs and faeries. Their little group began to grow with those following them. Most of the creatures kept to themselves and gave Hope and Ryan plenty of space, but they continued to follow them. Ryan hoped that they would be able to guide all of these creatures out of the pit, unwilling to leave them for dead once the crimes of Triad Industries became clearer to him. 

“Do you think Clíodhna is down here?” Hope wondered as a family of banshees joined them.

“I think most gods return to their afterlifes,” Ryan speculated. “But if not, then she is truly gone.”

“When we did our bonding spell, I saw your memory of her,” Hope mumbled. Ryan felt his heart start to speed at that admission. “Of me.”

Ryan didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t. Instead he hummed in acknowledgement, looking forward to their path. The group of Pombero’s were bickering with the nymphs over musical talent and the unicorns didn’t like the way the Kitsune pounced along the trail.

“It’s just that…” Hope cleared her throat. “I was surprised, is all.”

Ryan considered his words as carefully as he could, feeling like he was dodging a slew of dragon flames. “Why were you surprised?” 

“I mean,” Hope made a noise of frustration, “it’s not like you ever _said_ anything to me about maybe liking me or whatever and it’s not like you ever _did_ anything so I…”

Ryan chuckled, closing his eyes. “Never did anything?” Ryan asked, turning to her. He stared upon her, brown eyes open and full of affection. “Hope,” he took her hand and placed it on his own, resting her fingers above the bone with his golem mark, “I gave you my heart.”

Her mouth parted in surprise.

He reached out across the bond, tugging at their strings, begging for her to be able to feel what he felt, to understand what he meant. He wanted her to feel everything, to know how deeply his affection, his yearning, his love--and that felt new and surprising to admit--for her. “You have it, Hope.”

“Oh.”

Ryan smiled weakly at her. “We should keep going,” he said when he realized she wouldn’t say anything more. A creature approached them from within the forest and Ryan couldn’t help but laugh when a gigantic three headed dog came slobbering out from between the trees. 

Cerberus bounded over to Hope and Ryan, licking at both of their cheeks. Ryan watched as Hope followed the creature to the back of the group. He tried to not let it affect him, but that was okay. He’d keep them moving. 

They made it out of the dead forest with another dryad joining their ranks. Hope stayed further in the back with the rest of the crowd, introducing herself and what not, while Ryan continued to meet the new creatures. A couple of Pegasus hobbled out of the caves in the purple arches, along with a newborn calf. Time was not normal down in Malivore and Ryan couldn’t tell if it had been a baby for several years or if the two winged horses had come together in the darkness to create new life. As another family of dryads joined them, Ryan wondered what would’ve happened to him and Hope if they’d been down here for longer, would they have ended up on the same path?

As they made their way under the arches, Ryan noticed that the landscape was deteriorating. He’d seen less trees in the dead forest, but in the desert, empty pockets of black void scattered near their path. He also observed a figure in the far distance. He wondered who or what it was. If they were a monster, they’d be pushed away from the magic of Hope’s pendent. It concerned him, however, when the figure wasn’t drawn towards them. Whoever they were, they wanted Ryan and Hope to come to them, not the other way around.

When they finally walked close enough for the figure, humanoid it seemed, to become clear in Ryan’s eyes, he understood why they held back.

* * *

**_The Pit…_ **

The monsters scattered and she didn’t know why. It irked her because Malivore had done everything to make her life hell, or more of a hell then it already was, and now he’d given her nothing to do? She had all eternity to live in this nightmare, the least that bastard could do was give her something to _do_.

After a long while of this boringness, she began to hear distant voices. Many voices. Had Malivore sent a crowd of monsters to get rid of her? Didn’t he know she preferred the challenge? She could take on whatever he sent her way. But as she sat atop one of the arches, looking out at the empty desert, and watched the crowd of monsters come her way, she realized it might be the end. She could do quite a bit against four or five monsters, but there were at least twenty coming her way. She would die trying.

Her plan was to jump down from the arch, take out at least two of them in the process, and fight until she either died or won. Survival was all she had left. But as their group came closer, she noticed a flash of red hair that she might’ve recognized. But it was the one in the front that gave her pause.

She had returned to the pit to protect her son and he was the reason: Ryan Clarke. Had he taken the humans in here prisoner? She couldn’t be sure if they were human, but they looked it. Was he here to finish her? Was he here to throw her son’s body at her feet? Tell her she failed? She refused to let that happen.

She dropped down from the arch and landed before him. She got up from the sand and pulled out her gun. She didn’t use it often down here, but Ryan Clarke deserved it. She pointed it at him and growled, “What are you doing here?”

Ryan Clarke barely reacted, although those behind him (creatures, she realized, now that they were closer) backed up in fear. “I came to help you escape,” he said calmly.

“You’re lying.” She cocked the gun. “Where is my son? Is he safe?”

“If you think I’m a liar, would you believe what I have to say?”

She was going to shoot the bastard in the throat.

But, from within the crowd of creatures, came a familiar young girl with red hair and bright blue eyes. “Seylah?” the girl wondered. “You’re alive!” Hope Mikaelson laughed with joy as she approached her.

“Hope.” Seylah lowered her gun as she was drawn into Hope’s arms. “What are you doing here? Where’s Landon?”

“He’s safe,” Hope reassured her. “Ryan and I are here to destroy Malivore.”

Seylah raised her brow. “He’s helping?”

Agent Clarke muttered something under his breath that made Hope smile. “Yeah,” Hope said, “he’s changed. He’s always wanted Malivore destroyed. We’re helping innocent beings who were put in the Malivore escape before we destroy it.”

Seylah looked over the group of creatures, spotting a Gorgon and Gargoyle, and glanced back at her. “How do you know they won’t just cause mayhem once you get up there?”

Hope touched the pendent on her neck. The sleeve of her jacket rolled down, revealing a bracelet on her wrist. When Hope brought the two pieces close together, they glowed briefly. “It’s spelled, to draw in those that are good and ward monsters away.” 

This made her brows furrow. Seylah couldn’t consider herself “good” and could Malivore’s other son claim the same? But, if Hope had a way out of here…she holstered her gun. “You said Landon’s safe?” Seylah asked. “Where is he? How is he?”

“He’s at school,” Hope explained. “He’s doing well, I think.”

“You think? Aren’t you his girlfriend?” Seylah crossed her arms. Last she checked, they were madly in love. And Hope hadn’t changed much since the last time she saw her. Could their love be gone so soon? Seylah wasn’t one for gushy feelings, but both her son and his girlfriend bought into it. So what happened? 

“Uh, we broke up.” Hope looked down at her feet. Seylah noticed that Malivore’s other son was looking anywhere but at them. Had he been involved with the break up? How? “He found someone new.”

“I doubt that,” Seylah said, “he was so in love with you.”

Hope sighed. “Ryan and I got stuck in Malivore a while back, so he didn’t remember me.” Before Seylah could say anything, Hope shrugged and moved on. “But he’s happier now, with Josie. And I’m…” She glanced at Clarke briefly. “Happy too.”

Both Seylah and Clarke were surprised by this revelation. Malivore’s son looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how. Seylah had all sorts of things to say, mostly _You like_ **_that_ ** _guy?_ but decided it was best to keep moving. The other creatures in their group were getting antsy. “So you know a way out of here?”

“Yes,” both Hope and Clarke said.

“Then let’s get out of this hellhole.” Seylah gestured them forward. Hope began to walk, as did the other creatures. When Clarke made moves to pass by her, Seylah grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him close. “I put my gun away because of Hope,” she told him. “If she wasn’t here, you’d be dead.”

“I know.”

“You ruined my life,” she told him. “You terrorized my son.”

“I thought you didn’t want him,” Clarke bit.

“I knew I couldn’t care for him the way he needed to be,” Seylah told him. “That didn’t mean I didn’t love him. And you threatened that.”

“I know.”

“When we get out of here,” Seylah said, “I’m going to make your life hell like you did mine.”

Clarke let out a chuckle.

Seylah tightened her grip on him angrily. “What?”

“Like mother like son,” he explained. “I have no intention of bothering you or Landon ever again when this is over.”

“That’s beside the point,” she growled, “you don’t deserve an ounce of happiness for the pain you caused me.” Seylah nodded at Hope, who hadn’t noticed their tense conversation. “You may have her fooled, but not me.”

Clarke reached up and unwound her fingers from his sleeve. “Know this, Seylah, any pain you wish to cause me will be nothing compared to what my father has done. The only thing I care about in this world now is Hope, and any pain you bring her, will pain Landon so you won’t even think about it. You can hate me for all eternity, but nothing you do will matter. We spent too much time in the dark, you and I. When you get out of here, you might as well enjoy life again. For real this time.”

And with that, he walked away.

* * *

**_The Purple Arches…_ **

The disruption of their path was becoming increasingly dangerous. The pockets of void began to sprout on their blue road, forcing Hope to use her magic to create bridges. Ryan was less concerned about their travel and more about why now. If he was going to guess, Malivore was trying to stop them from completing their journey. Maybe his father had made it easy to escape the first time because he _wanted_ Hope and Ryan away from his body, and now they were a threat because they had the bomb. And because of Hope’s pendent, he couldn’t send monsters their way. He could only disrupt their path.

“I don’t like this,” Hope muttered as she erected another bridge for their crowd. Ryan felt her pull from their bond like a kite on a windy day. Everyone looked hesitant at the bridge as they crossed, including Landon’s mother, fearing it would fall and doom them all to death. “What if there’s a hole as big as the empty sea? I can’t hold a bridge like that for long. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to hold a bridge _for_ the empty sea.”

“You’ll make it work,” he reassured her, “I know you will.”

“We have to get everyone out,” she said, nodding to herself as they crossed. “We have to.”

“We will do our best,” Ryan said, “but if this place keeps getting worse, there’s no question: we activate the ring and get out with the bracelets.”

“I can’t leave her behind.” Before Ryan could ask, Hope nodded at Seylah, who was holding a stiff conversation with a Selkie on the other side of the bridge. “Landon would never forgive me.”

Ryan wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. Despite Landon’s continued appreciation for Hope, he did feel abandoned and at odds with the universe for having lost his birth mother without having a chance to truly know her. If there had been an opportunity for them to bring Seylah back to him and they had failed, Landon would never get over it. They could try and keep it hidden, but the truth always had a way of coming out. Hope would already feel the guilt of allowing the innocent creatures to die down here, but to add Landon’s mother to that? 

“We will get them out.”

She nodded briefly and they continued to cross the bridge. Bits of rock fell into the void below, the emptiness that Ryan couldn’t grasp. Falling into one of these pockets would mean the end for whoever slipped. Ryan kept a careful eye on Hope as she crossed. They stepped off and onto the other side, where the others waited for them. When the bridge crumbled behind them, so did Hope. She leaned heavily against him and through the bond, he could feel her magic straining.

“You need to take it easy,” Ryan told her. She made too many bridges back to back. They needed to save her energy for when they got to the empty sea. It had nearly destroyed them the last time.

“I have to keep going.”

“We should take a break,” Ryan suggested, although it felt more like a decision. Hope opened her mouth to protest, but her magic spasmed and her mouth fell shut. She nodded, but did not leave his side. Ryan walked them over to an outcrop underneath an arch. The other magical creatures crowded anxiously around them. “We’re going to rest here for a moment,” Ryan told the ones closest to them. “We’ll get back to it in an hour or two. Don’t wander too far.” Noise spread through the group and they dispersed. 

Ryan got Hope over to the edge of the arch and helped her settle down on the ground. She settled on her side, resting her arm underneath her head. Ryan took off his coat and bundled it in a ball. He crouched down next to her, handing it over. She looked up at him, surprise in her eyes as he held it out to her. “You don’t need to do this,” she murmured.

“You need your rest. Take it.”

She placed the bundle underneath her head, watching him. “I meant, you don’t need to take care of me,” she continued.

“Let me,” he returned. Ryan had an inkling that Hope didn’t have many people to watch over her. She’d spent so long looking out for herself. “At least this time.”

He couldn’t do much for her. She already had his power and there was nothing to guard. Her pendent kept them safe. All Ryan could do was give her his jacket and get her to rest. But she seemed to take his actions for what they were. She reached out for him, her hand touching his knee briefly. “Thank you, Ryan.”

“Of course, Hope.” If he was any bolder, he would lean forward and kiss the top of her head. Instead he smiled briefly, pouring as much affection into the bond, and pulled away when her eyes started to droop.

Ryan got up and began to look over the rest of the creatures in their group. No one had fallen while crossing the bridges, but a nymph had scraped his knee on his way off the ledge and the various horse creatures were skittish about the bridges. Cerberus seemed content with their journey so far and Ryan had been surprised by how the three headed dog liked to herd the crowd. Maybe it reminded him of the underworld, but either way, Ryan appreciated their orderly fashion. 

The last person Ryan needed to check up on was Seylah, which he’d been dreading. He finally made his way over to the woman, who was sitting on a collection of boulders, a griffin rested near her feet, but it barely stirred when Ryan approached. 

“She’s been asleep for some time,” Seylah said in greeting. They both glanced at Hope, who was now joined by Cerberus and a friendly unicorn.

“She needs her strength to get to the portal,” he returned.

“I know that.” Seylah sniffed and twirled one of her knives in her hand. “That girl’s the only way we’ll get out of here.”

Ryan nodded.

“I still want to gut you.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it. Hope and I are tethered, she’s using my energy as hers,” Ryan said. “I may come back, but if you kill me, we can’t escape.”

Seylah scoffed. “Figures that’s why she’s keeping you around.”

He tried not to feel hurt by that, although he didn’t feel much right about now. His mind was elsewhere.

“If we get out of here,” Seylah promised, “I’ll gut you.”

“I hate to acknowledge this,” Ryan muttered, sitting down beside her, “but my father let me leave this place to watch over you and your son.”

“So?”

“I was meant to be a protector of sorts, although I know you do not need any protection. I went back to working for Triad instead, and yeah, my father wanted me to take him from you when the time came, but…I was still tasked to protect you.”

“I didn’t want you anywhere near us,” Seylah glared. “I’m glad you fucked up.”

“Your son hates me,” Ryan continued. “And Hope loves him, even if it’s not in the way you used to know them for.”

“And you love her,” Seylah observed.

“Yes.” It felt like the candles went out inside of his chest. Ryan breathed through it nodding. “And she wants to make sure you get out of this hellhole. For Landon.”

“Why does it sound like we aren’t getting out of here?”

Perceptive. Or paranoid. “She’s exhausted,” Ryan nodded at Hope. “But she’s strong. Hope will build the bridge to get everyone out.”

“So why are you bringing this up?”

“In case things go wrong.” Ryan rubbed his hands together slowly. “Hope and I came down here with a back-up exit.” He pulled up his shirt sleeve over his wrist. “This.” He presented the cuff to Seylah. “Take this so you can get out if something goes wrong.” He pulled it off his wrist, feeling like he lost his battle armor, and presented it to Seylah.

“Why would I take this from you?”

“Because I saw you looking at Hope’s bracelet,” he said. “This one’s the same. And you should take it, so you can definitely leave.”

Seylah snatched the bracelet, tucking it onto her person before watching Ryan with severity. “Why did you give this to me? Won’t you be left behind?”

“I have no doubt in my mind Hope will get us out of here.”

“Then why give me the bracelet?” she repeated.

“A sign of good will,” Ryan told her. “You have plenty of reason to hurt me, but I have none to hurt you.” He hoped that Seylah would see that he wasn’t a threat, not really, and so she didn’t _need_ to further harm Ryan in whatever way she could, out of fear of him. She could do whatever for what she deemed reasonable for past indiscretions, but Ryan had no ill will towards her, not really.

“Did Hope put you up to this?” 

“Not in so many words.”

Maybe he _was_ making sure Seylah got out for Hope. Maybe he was doing it to spite his father. Let another one of father’s failed schemes to destroy the world flourish outside of him. But maybe, and this was a small possibility, Ryan wanted to do this for Landon. Because as much as he hated the dweeb, he did find himself thinking of him often. Seeing his other brothers…although with devastating consequences, had Ryan hoping for something better. Maybe _he_ could be better. And maybe he wanted to see what Octavus and Nonus could be without the influence of their father. And maybe Ryan could learn something from Landon or Landon could learn something from Ryan, he didn’t know. 

He’d never find out if he let Seylah die.

“I’m going to wake up Hope,” Ryan decided.

Seylah grabbed him by the arm and forced him to sit on the rock. “Give it another half hour,” she said. “You can stay here.”

Ryan nodded and settled back down.

* * *

**_My Body…_ **

I tear at my own skin in agony. I wish to feed, my hunger is gnawing. I wish to punish, to rip the spleen from my own blood. With the betrayal of my many sons, I wish nothing more than to tear what remains inside of me to shreds. Only in agony do I feel righteous. I feed upon my prey, those lame enough to fall into my pits, I suckle on their life force until I am ripe with my fury again. Their suffering are reparations for the pain I have endured. Those cursed witches from long ago, those empty vampires, and those simple wolves, I wish to crush their necks like I did their children, but their lines continue to flourish. Cursed existence and cursed emptiness in my loins. They must pay! And for them to send the tribrid abomination my way, as if I would let them succeed in destroying me. Ha! One of my creations may be upon her side, but I know the agony of his heart, for I gave it to him, he received my blow after blow as every child does from their father, and I will crush him just the same. The cowardice he presented to align himself with the tribrid and to reveal his brothers’ weakness, I will find his Mark myself and rip it to shreds! I allowed my form to degrade so that the tribrid may succumb to my hunger, but she is stronger than I last recalled. I do not know how, much like I do not know how she prevailed through my tearful abyss to the exit, but I will get her to crumble into my void. And I will eat her even if she is poison to my bones! My two abominations may reunite soon, but my darkness will reign supreme. They cannot destroy me for I am Malivore! When their bones are crushed in my teeth and their blood in my gut, I will release myself from my body’s prison. The Phoenix child will return to me, one way or another, and I will take my true place inside of him. I will escape my cursed form and finally walk freely among the blazing fields above. My line will continue, my loins heavy and insistent upon whatever dame I come upon, and my siring will only begin! With children, true children unlike my muddy creations, walk beside me, I will have my revenge and none can stop me! 

* * *

**_The Last of Malivore…_ **

After Hope woke up, their group made their way along the blue path again. Ryan could see the hills that led to the empty sea in the distance. The hills looked deformed, broken at the edges, as if someone had torn them down. Ryan feared what the empty sea would look like when they got there. Their group had been trying their best to avoid any pockets of empty across the desert, and trying to avoid needing Hope to build bridges. Their route had taken a little longer than usual, but it would be worth it if Hope could get them across the empty sea without any trouble.

They were much further ahead than the rest of their crew, making sure that the sand didn’t crumble beneath their feet. Ryan and Hope had spoken quietly with one another as they walked, recounting how many creatures were in their group now and what spells Hope would need to help them cross. Ryan told her about a time delay spell, which would allow her to create multiple bridges at once if need be, and Hope had gone searching for a weather altering spell before they returned to Malivore. They could control many elements, but they wouldn’t be able to stop any lightning strikes, so they would have to be extra cautious of that. If worse came to worse, Ryan knew that the Pegasuses in their group could help with the travel.

“This was a lot easier than last time,” Hope observed. “I mean, besides the bottomless pits and the Gorgons fighting with the Sirens, and Landon’s mom also trying to gut you, it’s been easy.”

“I wouldn’t call it easy yet,” Ryan warned her. “We weren’t sure if your pendant warded off my brothers, They might be readying to fight us for my father.”

“I guess…”

Ryan looked at her curiously. “What, you think they won’t help my father?”

“Trust me, I don’t like your mud brothers,” Hope rubbed her hands together, “but Septima seemed…upset by the exchange. I don’t think he wanted to kill us.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ryan’s jaw clenched. _Vali died because of him, of his brothers, because of Ryan._ “I have no love for him and I never knew him, so why wonder?”

“Knowing someone can make loving them difficult,” Hope said. She turned the conversation to, “My father and uncle were like that. They were both…complicated men. Monsters, even, at least they used to be. But they loved each other. Always and forever.”

“Your family chose to love each other,” Ryan said. “I was never chosen.”

Before they could continue their conversation, Hope was drawn into a squabble between a trio of nymphs. Ryan was also distracted by the looming visual of someone waiting for them atop the hill, much like Seylah had. Except, these were two figures, although Ryan barely had a moment to speculate who it was before the duo descended to the other side of the hill and out of sight. A pit in Ryan’s stomach had him worrying that it was his brothers and that they were leaving to warn father of their arrival. Hope returned to him as they walked around a set of boulders.

“Have you ever been in love before?” Hope asked him as if she was picking up their earlier conversation, but only by the threads.

“Are we still talking about family?”

“No,” Hope shoved her hands into her pockets, “I mean _other_ relationships..”

Ryan managed not to trip over his own feet. “Uh, haha, why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious,” Hope said, almost evasive, like she was trying not to draw attention to her earlier question even though it felt groundbreaking, “I wanted to know if you were…experienced in that sort of thing.”

“I have knowledge in many areas, including badminton, the completed works of Audre Lorde, and various magical creatures.” Ryan adjusted the collar of his jacket, glanced at Hope briefly, and then admitted, “But relationships are not one of those things.”

“Okay.” Hope nodded very slowly. Their eyes met briefly. Hope smiled nervously and looked away, tucking a lock of hair behind her hair. “What about… _other_ things?”

“Like what?”

“You know…” 

Ryan really had no idea what she was talking about.

“What else are you…” Hope tried to hide her blush, but he could feel it through the bond, “ _experienced_ in?”

Why did she keep emphasizing the word experience? Ryan had to rack his brain for several long seconds to try and figure it out. It was only when he took note of her emphasis on experience and relationships, and the blush on her cheeks, did it hit him. Was she asking him about _sex_? Did that mean she showed more interest than he first thought? Did she have expectations of him? Or, as Ryan realized the longer she nervously glanced at him, was she afraid he had expectations of _her_?

“The truth is, Hope Mikaelson, is that I have had some experience over the centuries,” Ryan admitted, “but most of my interactions were…unsatisfying, mostly because I felt…” 

Ryan tried to put to words what he had felt. He had enjoyed the touch of a lover, of any gender really, but those moments had been brief, more often inspired by boredom and curiosity than anything else. They had been pleasurable, at the time, but overall meaningless. His bed partners had only enjoyed his presence in the bedroom, for a few hours at a time, kept at arm’s length. After a couple of centuries of this treatment, Ryan had reasoned that his sadness was from a lack of romantic and emotional connection, but work at Traid, fear of his father’s influence, and the lack of any potential partners, had made any hope for that sort of relationship impossible. And so there had only been the hole in his chest. But with Hope…

He turned to her, his hand brushing against her arm briefly, and said, “There was no one for me. Whatever intentions you have towards me, will be more than I have ever had before. I only want you to be happy.”

“I want you to be happy too,” she said sweetly.

“You know I care for you very much, right?”

“I’ve been in your memories.”

He had been in hers and he couldn’t know for sure if she liked him like that. “I am attracted to you, Hope, and I have feelings for you,” he said firmly. They had been going around in circles, both saying what they meant, but not at the same time. “I want to be clear.” He had never felt the way he had about Hope with anyone else ever before. And that had to mean something, something epic. 

“I--” Hope fumbled with her words. She was so used to being aloof. And maybe she’d gone into this conversation with plausible deniability, but she had opened Pandora's box inside of his chest. The lid had cracked open long ago, but he needed to be free of its secrets now, at least while he could still tell her freely. “Thank you. For telling me.”

“Do you feel the same?” he asked. Ryan forcibly stopped himself and cleared his throat. “Actually, you do not need to answer that.”

“Why not?” 

“Because you’ll tell me when you’re ready,” Ryan said. “And because you looked like you wanted to jump into one of those pits when I asked.”

Hope’s mouth parted in shock. “I wasn’t going to--”

Ryan chuckled and wrapped an arm across her shoulders. She made a startled, yet pleased noise, as he pulled her in closer and kissed the top of her head. He had never been so forward before, but she relaxed into his arms. “You’re not ready,” Ryan murmured softly. “We have plenty of time up there to figure out what’s between us.”

She nodded. “Thank you for…being you.”

He shrugged. 

As they walked up the hill, they drifted apart, but mostly because the path became increasingly narrow. Ryan felt his shoes drift into the deep pockets of sand, almost getting caught that way, before managing to get loose. Hope helped the unicorns through the sand and Ryan worked with Cerberus to jump over the deep patches. Everyone else managed well enough and so finally they crested the hill to see the empty sea. 

It was worse than he expected. The ocean was a dangerous black shade with only the white foam of the angry waves illuminating the fast sea. The water soaked the shore, leaving them only a tiny strip of beach and making it harder to cross. A hurricane circled the portal exit and Ryan could only see a sliver of the white blue light of the exit through the gray and black clouds, almost green in color. Rain pelted the atmosphere and the lightning strikes came frequently across the waves, thunderous claps echoing in the air. Ryan and Hope glanced at each other in concern as they made their way to the shoreline. Hope chanted a few weather spells immediately and the rain seemed to settle into a drizzle rather than an angry spray. The clouds around the portal also loosened and the lightning settled, but there were still raging waves all around them.

“You’ll need to make the bridge extra tall,” Ryan commented as they reached the water.

“I figured as much,” she sighed. “I might have to do this in two groups.”

Ryan nodded, and scanned the perimeter of their beach nervously. He wondered where the two figures from before had gone to. He could see the entrance to his father’s cave. Good. As long as their enemies stayed there, then Ryan didn’t care what happened.

Hope and Ryan began to sort their crowd of monsters into two groups of fifteen. There was a mix between humanoid and animals. The second group felt concern over not being able to leave first, but Hope explained that under no uncertain terms could she support both groups at once and that if they wanted her to try, they could all die instead. That shut them all up pretty quickly. Seylah elected to stay behind in order to keep the second group calm.

When Hope began to create the bridge, Ryan felt himself crumble. He had to sit on the sand as she pulled everything from within him through the bond. He knew she was straining from the force of it too, but it felt like he would pass out. Slowly but surely, a large bridge of rock rose from pits of the sea. Hope kept her arms raised, parting the sea, the entire time the first group crossed. Ryan’s hands were clenched in fists against his thighs as he watched her do her work. He had to hold back the suffocating feeling inside of his chest as she hollowed him from the inside out. Ryan knew it would be easier, when it was finally time for them to cross, because Hope only had to hold up parts of the bridge, but he felt like breaking his own jaw as he sat there and let her tear at his soul.

Seylah sat down next to him in the sand, watching Hope as well as her red hair blew in the wind. “You good?” Seylah said quietly.

“I’m surprised you cared,” Ryan gritted out. Blood prickled along his palms from where his nails dug into his skin. Part of him begged Hope to turn around, to reassure him that he would live through this pain.

“Normally I wouldn’t,” Seylah snorted, “but you’re freaking out the dog.”

Ryan looked to his left and saw Cerberus watching him with big wet eyes. The dog laid on the ground, but it’s three heads were trained on him. At Ryan’s attention, the dog creature made a whining sound and shuffled forward, through the sand and to Ryan’s lap. He wasn’t expecting a gigantic dog to slobber all over him, but he did find comfort in its presence. Despite the pain it brought him, it made Ryan think of Vali, which was comforting even if the Woxler was no longer with them. 

Seylah snorted as she watched Ryan awkwardly pet the dog. “You gonna make it?”

“Yeah.” Ryan breathed through his nose, nodding to himself. The first group was upon the portal. He and Hope breathed in relief as they began to leave Malivore. 

Hope muttered a spell underneath her breath, stealing a bit more of his energy, and then she dropped her arms. He was about to shout in surprise, because it would take just as much power to resurrect the bridge if she let it go, but the bridge never fell. The very edges crumbled slightly, but the main structure remained. Feeling his confusion through the bond, Hope turned around and explained, “Time delay spell.”

“We should get the rest out soon then.”

He could still feel the strain upon his core, but it was less terrible than before. Based on Hope’s grimace, it was because she was supporting most of the spell right now. Seylah stood up and Hope sat down, settling near him. Having her so close made the ache in his chest feel better. From the warm feeling in the bond, Ryan guessed that the same was true for her. 

They watched as Seylah gathered up the rest of their group. Seylah had taken up a leadership role while they sat down and caught their breath. It was nice of her, but Ryan guessed that it was more like Seylah needed to do something with herself. 

“After they cross, we’ll set off the ring in the tunnels, and then get out.”

“We should cross the bridge,” Ryan said, “just like old times.” And, he didn’t have his cuff anymore. He could ask Seylah for it, but still. 

“Why? We have these.” Hope presented her bracelet to him.

“If the bridge is still active, then one of my brothers can escape. This way we can take down the bridge.”

“The ring sets off pretty fast,” Hope pointed out. “I doubt anyone can cross it in that time.”

Shit. Okay, Ryan would have to make a run for it. He had long legs. He could cross in time right?

Cerberus gave Ryan and Hope kisses before he joined the others at the bridge’s entrance. The second group began to cross over the sea, but Seylah did not join them. Hope made a confused noise as Landon’s mother said goodbye to the others and walked over to them.

“Seylah,” Hope puzzled, “you should go with them.”

“I couldn’t.”

Ryan tensed. “Why not?”

“Because, there are more creatures coming,” Seylah pointed behind them. “They’ll need help to cross.”

“More?”

“Can I join you?” a familiar voice called. 

Ryan and Hope both startled, twisting around to see who was there. Not only was the voice familiar, but Ryan could recognize the muddy face of Septima anywhere.

* * *

**_Home…_ **

After his little brother left, Septima was left alone and in pain. Quintus and Secundus were dead and Sextus blamed him for the loss. Quartus refused to talk to him and Tertium had kept to one of the caves. Primis was not a talker, but all of Septima’s brothers blamed him. _Septima_ blamed Septima, but also Father. Father kept his brothers separate from their home. Octavus had no love for them and Sextus had tried to destroy their brother! Octavus and Nonus were elsewhere, and it made the bonds of brotherhood fragile. All Septima wanted was his family together.

When Sextus returned from the waters, his anger hardened on his skin, he went to Father’s tomb and told him of what happened. Father was livid! Sextus forced him to speak with Father. Father could not move from his bed chamber as most of his form was spent in structuring their larger realm, but when Septima was forced before him, Father took care to reach out and grip Septima by the throat. It was horrendous! Father’s fist almost crushed his neck. 

“You are nothing,” Father had rasped. 

“Father, I was--”

“Begone!” he bellowed.

Septima could do nothing but follow his father’s will. Sextus snarled as Septima left father’s chamber. His brothers refused to face him as Septima roamed the tunnels. He felt despair as he walked further away. Where could he go? Who would want him? Why did none love him? But it was while Septima was leaving his home, did he run into his new friend.

He loved his friend and his friend loved him. His friend wanted to stay with him, which made Septima feel loved. Septima wanted to leave his father’s beach. He heard from his brothers that there were nice deserts for him to stay in. Maybe Septima could go there! But his friend did not want to leave the beach. His friend wanted to go to the blue light, but Septima was forbidden to go there, and he did not know how to swim. He tried to explain this to his friend, but his friend could not answer him. His friend would not go to the desert and Septima would not go to the waters, so they were at a standstill for a long time.

Septima did not mind as much because he got to stay with his friend. Father knew he was around, because he sent his brothers to look for him, but Septima knew all the best hiding places and so he and his friend were never caught. His friend seemed to be waiting for something and Septima tried to ask what his friend was waiting for, but his friend could not speak, so Septima did not mind the waiting.

The waiting ended the day the waters calmed from their wailing and his friend tried to go into the desert. Septima did not know what had gotten into his friend, but Septima made sure his friend stayed put. Whatever it was his friend was waiting for, it was getting closer. Septima knew because Father lashed out on his own form, bottomless pits stretching through the plane. The waters got angrier and a storm appeared. Septima wanted to seek shelter, but his friend wanted to stay on the hill ridge for whatever was coming. Septima waited with his friend, bargaining that they could see whatever was coming and then take shelter. When they finally did see what was coming--a large group of creatures, maybe even friends--both Septima and his friend were reluctant to go to shelter, but the lightning strikes could hit them out here, and Septima did not want his friend to get hurt like he did last time.

They hid in the hills and watched as the group descended onto the shoreline. His friend almost leapt through the rocks when his friend got a good look at who was in the crowd. Septima stopped his friend from leaving, because Septima also recognized some from the crowd: Octavus and the red woman.

“I am scared,” Septima confided in his friend as they watched the group split into two and the red woman parted the seas. Septima feared that the red woman would do to him what she did to his brothers. Octavus sat in the sand and Septima feared him too. 

His friend comforted him, but was determined to go with them. Septima could fight it, but he valued his friend too much to let his friend go alone. When the second group of travels left, Septima deemed it safe enough to join his brother. The red woman, Nonus’s mother, and Octavus clustered in the sand. As they approached, his friend got nervous and hid behind Septima’s legs. Septima wanted to question his friend, to remind his friend that Septima was the nervous one, but he continued on.

Nonus’s mother watched him with steely eyes as Septima stopped behind his seated brother. When Septima greeted them, Octavus and the red woman both turned to look at him. The red woman’s face twisted angrily and she lunged to her feet, dagger in hand. “You!” she snarled. The storm above grumbled from her loud voice and it made Septima uneasy. The red woman could kill his brothers. She could kill him too.

Octavus reached up and stopped her. “Hope, the bridge.” They all looked at the parted, where the rocks trembled anxiously. The red woman lowered her weapon, but continued to glare at him. Octavus turned to him. “What do you want Septima?” his brother spat.

“My friend wishes to go with you.”

Octavus, the red woman, and Nonus’s mother all furrowed their brows, faces creased in confusion. “Friend?” they asked suspiciously.

“My friend,” Septima confirmed. He looked to his friend, stepping out of the way to bring his friend forth. His friend looked at him anxiously, but could not help but turn towards the others. The red woman gasped.

“Is that--?” the red woman’s voice sounded strangled. The storms picked up with the sound of her voice.

“ _Vali_ ,” Octavus breathed, falling to his knees.

* * *

**_The Empty Sea…_ **

Ryan couldn’t believe it. Vali was dead. He’d seen it with his own eyes. But Vali was here, was _alive_. The Woxler looked different. Vali had black fur and red eyes, but this creature had reddish fur and orange eyes, but it was undoubtedly Vali. If nothing else, he knew it was Vali because the creature before him approached Ryan nervously. Vali nudged Ryan at his hip and then licked his cheek. Warmth, comfort, _healing_ poured through him. Ryan couldn’t help but hug him, even if for a moment, before Vali was turning to Hope and getting hugged by her too.

Tears were on both their faces as Hope looked at him and asked, “ _How?"_

“I don’t--”

“I thought you said he was dead?” Hope cried. Vali whined between them. Both Hope and Ryan reached out to pet Vali’s fur in comfort.

“He was,” Ryan trembled. “His head wasn’t there.”

“Oh.” Hope looked away. Vali licked her cheek and Hope smiled. He felt her warm through the bond. “There isn’t a lot known about Woxlers. Maybe they can be reborn.” It made sense, but the change in Vali’s form still left them with plenty of questions.

“Is this a friend of yours?” Seylah cleared her throat from behind them.

The bubble between Hope, Vali, and Ryan popped. “Yes,” Ryan explained. “Vali saved us more time than we could count.” Ryan cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes at the sight of Septima. “But he is no friend.”

“Brother!” Septima cried. “I wish to go with you!”

Seylah pulled out her gun. “Are you telling me this is another one of Malivore’s kids?”

Vali barked and bolted to stand in front of Septima, who cowered at the sight of the gun. Vali’s actions surprised Ryan, but the longer he thought about Septima, and his despair over the events of last time they were in the caves. Hope seemed to have the same realization. “Septima is one of Ryan and Landon’s brothers,” Hope explained Seylah, “but he didn’t attack us and if Vali trusts Septima…then I don’t hate him.”

Seylah raised her brows. “You’re making your ally choices based on a dog?”

“Vali is much more than a dog.”

“I only wish for friends!” Septima cried, which helped his case. “Please do not take my only friend!” Vali got on his hindlegs, resting his front paws on Septima’s chest and licked the golem’s cheek. Septima laughed in joy and cooed at the animal. “I love you my friend!”

Seylah lowered her gun.

“He’s harmless,” Hope continued.

“Mostly,” Ryan corrected because Seylah could believe a lot of things, but that wouldn’t be one of them. “He’s better than my other brothers.”

“You have more?”

“Did you not meet them when Malivore…” Ryan gestured vaguely at Seylah.

“Raped me?” Seylah finished. “I don’t remember much from then. Thank god.”

“There were seven of them,” Ryan said. “Hope took care of two of them. Sextus fell in the waters, is he still…?”

“Sextus returned,” Septima confirmed. “He told Father of you and my involvement and threw me out. I only wanted to be a family.” He sniffled.

“Will you help us get to Malivore’s body?” Hope asked.

Septima didn’t answer her. Vali got off of Septima and circled between the two groups uneasily.

“We will help you leave this place,” Hope offered.

“Why would I want to leave my home?”

Septima had a point. Septima looked like mud and they were eternal. Septima had very little knowledge of the supernatural community, much less the human world. What hope did he have in the outside world?

“Please, brother,” Ryan spoke up, “help us defeat father.”

“Will you be my home?” Septima asked. “If I help you, will you be my brother?”

Ryan swallowed, glancing at Seylah and Hope before returning to Septima’s lost eyes. “I don’t know much about being a brother,” he admitted.

“But will you try?” Septima pleaded.

“I--” He had always wanted a father. A love. A family. He thought he’d found some of it in Hope, in Gary, in Vali, even a little in Freya, Florence, and Lizzie. But for Septima? “I will try.”

The smile that shined from Septima was blinding. For a moment, Ryan was struck with a vision of Septima and him up in the human world, Septima looking more human than he did now with a head of dark brown hair and an easy smile. The two of them, hugging at a beach on vacation, Vali splashing in the water. Others were there, but Ryan could feel the warmth of holding his brother, the truth in family in their hug. He’d never really had a vision like that before, maybe it was his imagination, but he wanted it. Ryan was going to make it happen.

“Then let us end father,” Septima agreed.

“Wait,” Hope cleared her throat. “We need to get you, Vali, and Seylah out of here. Once the ring is set, this place will be over.”

“What about a time delay?” Ryan suggested, the idea coming to him. “Like you did with the bridge.”

“With the magic in the ring, it won’t give us much more time,” Hope told him. “But I guess that will work.”

“Then let’s go.” Seylah clapped her hands together.

“You should go,” Hope told her, “it might be dangerous.”

“I won’t give up the chance to gut that fucker,” Seylah declared. Ryan couldn’t help but agree. Vali was the only one that didn’t seem to want to go into the caves, which gave Ryan and Hope horrible feelings of deja-vu, but Septima kept close to the Woxler and promised to protect him.

After the second group of magical refugees crossed through the portal exit, their group of five trekked into the caves. Hope and Ryan were in the front, Seylah close behind, with Vali and Septima in the rear while Septima called out directions. Hope’s connection to the bridge crumbled slightly, as did her hold on Ryan’s entire soul, but she reassured him that any damage to the bridge could be repaired while they ran.

The first of Ryan’s brothers that they came across was Quartus, who shouted in surprise when he saw them and tried to roll away to the rest of his brothers. Ryan was quick to stop the ball of mud from getting too far. Hope ducked down and wiped away the markings on him. Quartus laid immobile on the cave floor. Septima sniffled as they passed, but Ryan reasoned that Septima knew that this would happen. 

Then they reached the antechamber. “You!” Sextus shouted. 

Ryan knew the punch was coming. He dodged and returned the favor, landing a blow on Sextus’s head. Seylah and Hope quickly took over, fighting Sextus as Ryan ran for the tomb that held his father. Tertium rolled into view and Ryan didn’t even hesitate, kicking the ball of mud in the other direction. He slid into the spare room, hearing the shouts of the others as he did so. Ryan almost walked into a vat of mud--Primis, Ryan reasoned--but quickly sidestepped the first mud creation. Primis bubbled angrily, but couldn’t do anything else. 

At the center of the room was an altar made of rock. On top of that altar was a slab of mud: his father. Ryan felt terror in his bones as he approached Malivore’s true form. He hadn’t seen his father in person since he turned him into the pit. He had heard his voice, cruel and booming, but never felt the heavy weight of his eyes upon him. He stepped up to his dreadful father and looked upon him in surprise. There was nothingness. Malivore did not move, did not breathe, did nothing while Ryan stood over his body, ready to kill him once and for all. His father’s face was less defined than he remembered, worn down from time and being away from his body, Ryan figured.

“I was so afraid of you,” Ryan murmured. “You made me, yet you cast me aside. All of us. You hated your children, even the ones that followed you, but you only use us for your own bidding. You are no father. A father is meant to love his children. We were meant to be a family, but you kept us separate, hurt each of us.” He shook his head in disbelief, laughing almost. “You are nothing. Not even of the earth’s magic, not even worthy of life.” Ryan held up his hand. “I came to end you. Finally.” Ryan moved to twist the ring on his finger, but then he was gasping for air.

Malivore sat up from his altar, a hand tight on Ryan’s throat, and snarled, “The prodigal son returns.”

Ryan clawed at his head, but his father didn’t care.

“You thought you could destroy me?” Malivore chuckled lowly, like the thunderstorm outside. “I am Malivore! You are but a speck of dirt at my feet.” Malivore got up from the altar and raised Ryan into the air. Ryan kicked at him fruitlessly. “You, Octavus, are _nothing_! Your fate is sealed.”

Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife. Ryan plunged the knife into Malivore’s eye. The Golem barely flinched.

“You think you can kill me!” Malivore bellowed, tightening his grip on Ryan’s throat. “I will enjoy killing you over and over again,” Malivore growled. “And your precious companion, I will use her and destroy her. She will bear my seed--”

Ryan kicked his father again in disgust. It was one thing to torture Ryan, but he’d never allow him to hurt Hope. Ryan dragged the knife from Malivore’s eye down his face, cutting through him like he was a piece of tough cake. This made Malivore hiss in pain. Ryan scratched at the mark on his forehead, his own head feeling light from the lack of air.

“You will watch,” Malivore promised him, “you will watch me--”

**_BANG!_ **

Malivore tensed up, back straightening as another round of shots rang through the chamber. Malivore flicked Ryan to the side and turned to the shooter. Ryan fell against the altar, his ring scraping against the stone. Ryan looked over to see Seylah at the entrance of the chamber, gun in hand. 

“Woman,” Malivore growled.

“Fucking bastard,” Seylah returned. “You fucking piece of dirt shit.”

“I will enjoy taking you again,” Malivore declared as he advanced on her.

Seylah shot another round of bullets, looking angry and determined, unwieldy. Ryan stood up and approached his father from behind. When Seylah ran out of bullets, she pulled out her knife. “I will end you!” she cried as she slashed Malivore in the gut.

“Seylah, run!” Ryan yelled.

“Never!” Seylah dug the knife out of Malivore and rammed it into his throat. In return, Malivore batted her into a wall. Ryan wrapped himself around his father’s back, digging the blade further into him. Malivore reached up to Ryan’s head, pulling at his hair, trying to get him off, but Ryan wouldn’t let go. They struggled against each other. In the other room, Ryan could hear Hope’s shouting. Seylah got to her feet and pulled out her other dagger, stalking towards them.

Before either could react, Malivore pulled the knife out of his eye and flung it at Seylah, hitting her in the gut. “Seylah!” Ryan shouted. Seylah looked down at her gut, at the blood seeping her shirt. Malivore cackled as Seylah fell to the ground. He shook Ryan onto the floor. On his back, Ryan watched as he pulled out the other knife from his form and approached a gasping Seylah. “Use the bracelet!” 

Seylah looked wildly between him and Malivore. 

Ryan twisted the ring around his finger and clenched his fist. The two horns of the ring dug into his skin and collected his blood. He opened his palm. The two horns, now holding his blood, floated magically above the band of silver in red. Ryan quickly tore off the ring as it began to heat and scrambled to his feet.

Seylah pulled at her bracelet as Malivore raised the dagger. Before he could lunge at her, Ryan shoved the activated ring into his father’s back, and Seylah disappeared in a flash of blue light. Malivore howled as the ring buried into his muddy skin. His father fell to his knees in agony. Justice, Ryan thought, as Malivore twisted into a wounded beast. His skin began to turn a molted purple color. Veins of bright red spread from beneath Ryan’s palm, along his father’s back. Malivore howled as the acidic magic coursed through him.

The walls of the cave began to crumble. Ryan stepped back as rocks fell from the ceiling. The ground shook and he could tell that this place was losing its shape already, that the spell was working. One of the tunnels collapsed as Malivore scratched at his own face, nails shredding through the mud. A gigantic rock fell on the altar and broke it. Ryan jumped as wind began to howl through the cave.

Hope skidded into the room, eyes wide. “What did you do?” she yelled.

“I activated the ring.” He looked down at his hand. His fingers were stained with the same red magic that infected his father. And it was spreading. The magic from the ring must’ve been eating at his blood too.

“I thought we were gonna wait!” Hope pointed at Malivore and shouted the time delay spell. He could already tell from the way the red pulsed and bubbled along his father’s skin, and how the tremors of this dimension continued, the time delay really wouldn’t last long. Hope searched the room. “Where’s Landon’s mom?”

“Malivore stabbed her,” Ryan said. Hope jerked in surprise. “I gave her the bracelet.”

Hope opened her mouth, “But you--”

“I know, it was my bracelet,” he stood up. “We really need to go.” If the red stain was spreading, then he could die if he stayed down here.

Hope kicked Malivore’s body to the dirt. Ryan almost laughed at the sight of his own father curled into a child’s position. “You think?” she gripped him by the hand and pulled him away from his father’s paralyzed body. They met Septima and Vali in the antechamber, his other brothers dead at their feet. “We’ve got to run,” Hope shouted as the walls began to shake again.

* * *

**_Malivore…_ **

She was going to kill him. She was literally going to kill him! Hope had been through hell and back with Ryan. They had a plan. They had a way out. And he was going to risk his life for Landon’s mom! Vali could’ve healed her. Then Ryan could have the bracelet. She knew she needed to get Vali out of here, and Seylah, and Septima too, but knowing that he didn’t have the bracelet it freaked her out. Because if one of them fell into the empty sea, it had to be Ryan. He was the only one that could survive it. But if he fell into the empty sea now… 

“It’s okay,” he murmured, thumb rubbing against hers, as they left the tunnels and onto the beach.

She normally wasn’t so anxious. Hope Mikaelson was a freaking badass. Child of Hayley Marshall-Kenner and Klaus Mikaelson, the tribrid, was unstoppable. But this was--this was--Ryan was-- 

Hope picked up the pace as she felt another shockwave of magic course through Malivore. They had minutes at most. Ryan had already activated the ring by the time she found him. She didn’t know for how long. She hoped Seylah was okay. The bridge was in bad shape. The hurricane was worse than before. Vali (and oh god, Hope’s heart soared knowing that Vali was alive, was well, and if she lost him too, lost him _again_ , Hope would--) whimpered and skittered up onto the structure, Septima following. The Golem had helped Hope destroy his brothers and had taken care of Vali, so she would let him leave this hell hole. Hope looked behind her and noticed that the far reaches of Malivore were melting, dissolving back into the black void. The dead forest, she could see the lights going out in the distance. Soon it would be the desert. Soon it would be here. They need to go.

She reached through their bond, a bond so strong that it felt like second skin and that terrified her and warmed her and overwhelmed her, and pulled at Ryan’s core, mixing it with her own magic as she raised her arm, summoning the rocks. The bridge came together again, against the rough waves crashing vigorously into the sides and the winds a vortex around them. Hope and Ryan followed after Vali and Spetima, and she let go of the bridge behind them. The release rushed through her and made her feel powerful again. But she felt that something was wrong with Ryan. She wasn’t sure what, but his side of the bond felt like it was breaking, the edges brittle from dark magic. She didn’t know what caused it, but it couldn’t be good.

“You’re so stupid,” Hope murmured as they rushed across the rock, “you’re the worst partner I’ve ever had, and I care about you so much, and you _better_ make it to that goddamn portal or I will find you and kill you myself.”

Ryan laughed and it sounded watery. “Hope Mikaelson, when we get out of here, can I take you on a date?”

“When we get out of here,” Hope declared as they reached the halfway mark, her heart thundering inside of her chest from the running, from the fear, from his words, “I am going to make out with you against the nearest flat surface.” And that was terrifying and also not scary at all because it was _Ryan_. “And you better take me on plenty of dates!”

He felt his joy rush through their bond and she would do anything to keep him so vibrant because he made her feel the same way. “We’ll make it,” he said in return. In front of them, Vali and Septima were trotting towards the exit.

Hope glanced behind her and saw the emptiness crest the hills to their beach and swarm towards the waters. Big mistake. The moment Hope turned away, lightning bolted into the rock. It narrowly missed Hope, but the force of it made Ryan and Hope let go of each other and Hope fell over the edge. Hope screamed as she fell. She scrambled to hold onto the rock, part of her leg still on the bridge, but then, because of her distraction, the bridge began to sway. Ryan lunged to grab her as her leg fell and she began to slip. They held each other by the wrists, Hope feeling her heart in her stomach. Her legs kicked fruitlessly at the air beneath her. Hope stared desperately at Ryan at his messed up hair, at the blood on his face, and the wide look on his eyes.

“Ryan!” Hope said. “Pull me up! You need to pull me up!” He did it last time she fell over. He needed to do it again. The emptiness was coming for them.

She could feel his muscles shaking, his grip on her slipping from the water and the anxiety. He tried again and again, but she couldn’t swing her leg up. “I can’t--” he cried desperately. “I can’t pull you up. You took all my strength.” And she knew it was true and she hated herself for doing this to them. She tried to feed him her power, but something in their connection felt clogged and it was useless.

“Ryan,” she begged, “we can’t waste time. Malivore is falling apart. Please!”

Vali and Septima were well ahead of them when the lightning struck. She had no idea where they were now. Were they safe? Did they get to the portal? Was the bridge breaking down? Hope felt her magic dwindle inside of herself.

“Use the bracelet,” Ryan urged, reaching down to roll up her sleeve. His body buckled from holding onto her. She could hear Vali howling ahead of them. The storm bursting around them, the bridge weakening. She sensed a part of it up ahead collapsing. She would need to repair it.

“Ryan, don’t activate the bracelet!” Hope shouted. “If I leave this place, the bridge will collapse. Let me fall!”

“I won’t let you feel that pain,” Ryan swore. She knew from his memories, from her own brief soak in the waters, how painful it would be. But she could live, she could do it. If she stayed in the water for a couple minutes, enough time for him to escape, and kept her head cool, she could activate the bracelet. Then it would be okay. She’d be okay. “I promised to protect you.” 

Hope wanted to strangle him. When had he promised that! They just promised dates and kissing and if he didn’t make it out of here-- “Ryan, just do it, I’ll be fine!” But the lie blistered across their bond. 

“I’ll be fine,” he promised and that felt like a lie too.

“Ryan, Ryan!” Hope yelled as he reached down and activated her bracelet.

“It’ll be okay, Hope.” She shook her head desperately. He looked so scared as he untangled his fingers from her. “I love--”

Hope screamed as she began to fall. She barely had a second to look at his hollow face before she felt the magic consume her.

Hope laid on her back, staring up at the blue sky and feeling like her heart had just destroyed itself. She panted against the earth for a moment, grounding herself into this new place before a familiar face hovered above her. “Aunt Freya?” she asked tearfully. 

“Hope,” Aunt Freya breathed, helping Hope sit up. She was sitting right next to the portal exit. Everyone else that was helping them was busy fretting over the other magical creatures or rushing over to her. Hope was relieved that they were all okay. “What happened?”

“Did they make it out yet?” Hope asked, looking around. “Is Ryan out yet? He promised--I just saw him, Freya, he was supposed to--is he--”

“Hope, sweetie, deep breaths,” Freya soothed, “you need to calm down. In and out.”

Freya tried to talk Hope through some breathing exercises but she couldn’t get herself to focus on it because she could feel their bond splintering and it felt like losing herself to the Hollow again. Keelin came over and shoved a cup of water in her direction, ordering her to drink. The water helped and she looked at the portal exit again and noticed that it was bubbling blue and red. 

“Is Seylah--”

“She’s here, she’s fine, she’s being treated,” Keelin reassured her. “Didn’t know Landon’s mother was down there, but she will be okay.”

“What happened down there?” Freya asked softly. “Did you activate the ring?”

“Ryan activated it,” Hope said. “He gave his bracelet to Seylah and we were crossing the bridge, but I fell over. He activated my bracelet, but the bridge--” Hope hiccups, tears returning, “--if I’m not there, the bridge won’t--if they’re not here yet, then they’re--”

_Dead._

As if hearing her thoughts, the portal exit bubbled and popped. The muddy circle began to rise from the earth, untethering itself from this plane of existence. Hope felt her emotions erupt inside of her again, loss and grief as the portal to Malivore rose into the air, a swirling mess of blue and red, but no one came out of it. Her connection to Ryan was still there, but it was as if a saw was hacking at the strings that bound them. With each piece cut, Hope felt herself fall apart.

“No!” she cried. Freya wrapped Hope into her arms and rocked her, much like she had at her mother’s funeral and later, her father’s. Hope didn’t deserve this much loss, not so young, not like this.

The floating portal fractured into pieces. One piece shot towards one end of the square, while another flung itself into the tree leaves, the other pieces disappearing into the air. Hope sobbed as her chest was ripped at the seams. 

**_Thunk!_ **

Freya and Hope both turned to look across the square as Septima crawled out of the fractured portal. The mud man was missing part of his leg, but he rolled to the ground. The blue portal shard turned red and disappeared into thin air. Hope heard another noise from above. She looked up and watched as Vali fell into one of the tree's limbs. She stood up. “Ryan?” she shouted. Would he come out of the other portals? She clung to what was left of her hope, searching for the remaining portal shards. “Ryan!” she called. “Ryan!” she begged. “Ryan!” she sobbed, over and over, her family at her side.

But he never appeared.

She felt the rest of their bond sever.

And Hope was left alone.

* * *

**_The End…_ **

Hope was gone. Ryan scrambled to his feet. Vali and Septima were both up ahead. They’d fallen short at Hope’s screams. The bridge was already starting to collapse. “Run!” Ryan shouted. He jumped over a hole in the bridge, shoes scraping against the rock. Vali howled and went on, Septima following. 

“Where is the red woman?” Septima asked when Ryan caught up.

“She’s safe,” Ryan said. The rain turned to sleet, wind shear snagging against the clouds above. The lightning threatened to blow them over, but Ryan refused to let his father win. The red stain from the ring was well up to his shoulder by now. Ryan knew that if he hadn’t been so stupid to get the spell into his own blood, he would’ve gotten Hope up from the rocks, but he was stupid and now he had to get out before he never got a chance to apologize. 

He could feel the stain like a blister on his skin and he could feel Hope’s side of the bond, the panic, the grief, the withering hope inside of her. The pain drove him for once, because he needed to win against his own agony for once. The ring’s magical explosion had swept the furthest reaches of Malivore into emptiness and now that magic clawed at the sea, shredded at the rock beneath him. He could see the portal ahead flicker and break down. No! Ryan pushed for them to run faster, jumping along falling rocks as the bridge crumbled. Vali and Septima were both doing okay, but Ryan was lagging because of his own weaknesses and strain from recent events.

By the time they got to the portal ledge, the damn thing had fractured. The ledge was beginning to fall into the sea. “How do we leave?” Septima cried. 

Ryan had no idea if it would work, but a portal was a portal. Ryan looked at the size of the slices of exit. Many were disappearing, but there were a few big one. Ryan pointed at the one closest to them and pushed Septima towards it. “Go!” 

“Brother,” Septima started as he put one leg through, “I must tell you, I care--”

“Tell me when we get out!” Ryan shouted and pushed him through. The portal closed shut before Septima could get his right knee through, but Ryan knew he’d be okay. 

Vali whined at the sight of the leg, but Ryan couldn’t think about it. The red stain was clawing at his collarbone and throat, and Ryan needed to get Vali out of here. Ryan searched the portal exits, frantic and terrified, but he found one that could work. The only problem was that it was above them. Vali and Ryan looked at each other. “I’m really sorry about this,” Ryan said. Before Vali could react, Ryan had reached down, picked up the Woxler in his straining arms, and thrown the poor creature into another portal above. Ryan would never be able to get the yelp Vali made out of his head, but it would be worth it if he saw him on the other side.

Then it was just Ryan. And a bunch of quickly closing portals. And a stain spreading past his heart. And the magical explosion spreading through what was left of Malivore. And the portal’s platform slowly slipping into the sea. _Fuck!_

Ryan knew whatever portal fractions were left wouldn’t sustain his whole body. All he needed was to get his hand through. Ryan shook his head, clearing his thoughts as best as he could and got ready to sprint. There was a portal in front of him, but it looked like it could crack open at any moment. Ryan began to run. Lightning struck the moment his feet left the ground. Ryan reached out, hands gripping the portal edge. He tried pulling himself through.

Then he felt the portal split in half.

When Ryan opened his eyes. He coughed up blood. The sky was blue. He tried moving, but half of his body was gone. The pain crushed through him as he spotted his missing legs, his missing stomach. All that was left were his arms and upper chest. Ryan gagged as he began to register his reality. Ryan was on some kind of road side. If he could find some kind of knife, he could end his suffering and be reborn again. Ryan had never been killed like this before. But as Ryan tried to move his arms, he felt the stain and how it had crept up his jaw to his ears, how it had spread from one arm to another, how it curled around his scaphoid. 

And as it curdled over his Mark, killing him for real this time, Ryan couldn’t help but cry for some mercy, for another chance.

For Hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi :)


	7. Et Post (The After)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes to begin, you must end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this fic! I just finished writing a novel and for the month of August I was going to write another novel or work on my other writing projects before I go back to campus, but then I got saddled with THIS idea and I don’t know why but I had to write a 60k+ fanfic about a rarepair for a fandom I’m not even heavily involved in because apparently that is my life! Anyway, I hope y’all enjoyed it!

**_At Peace…_ **

Hayley didn’t meet too many folks these days, which gave her some peace of mind. Not running into the people she used to know meant the fighting and the dying had settled in recent years. Since the crossing over of Klaus and Elijah, there had been comfort even if it meant that Hope grew up without a mother or father. In these parts, everyone lived without struggle, without complication. When Elijah showed up, Hayley felt something in her soul settle again with having her other half near. But her relationship with Jackson didn’t sour because of Elijah. There was an understanding in these parts. Hayley was happy when Elijah was with her and she was happy when Elijah was with Gia. 

In these parts, there were many nights of storytelling and celebration. Josh and Aiden threw the best parties, in Hayley’s opinion, but Cammie also threw a wonderful kick back when she wasn’t off canoodling with Klaus. And when the Mikaelson brothers got together, there was all sorts of reverie, even from Finn. Hayley liked spending time with the ones she knew in her past lives, but she also liked to wander out and talk with the passer throughs. In these parts, you could go anywhere, be free like you did in your first life, but at the end of the night, you always found yourself at home and at peace.

Hayley sat on the porch rocker of Josh’s backyard with Mary on one side and a nice man on her right. Neither Hayley nor Mary knew this fellow, but he seemed to know a thing or two about the supernatural community. “I used to hunt monsters, not any of the protected species, mind you,” the man, Gary, said, although Hayley had no idea what ‘protected species’ meant. “My partner and I once took down a whole warehouse of rabid centaurs. Another time, it took us three weeks to find and capture a wendigo that was terrorizing the Appalachias.” 

“My god,” Mary said, “how did you manage that?”

From the backdoor came Elijah. Even in these parts, Elijah liked to wear his fancy suits, but these days he kept the jacket off and the sleeves rolled up, which Haylay admired greatly. Hayley lowered her bottle of moonshine when his gaze fell upon her. “Hayley?” Elijah greeted. “I think someone is here to see you.”

Hayley frowned. “Who is it?” Very few things made someone’s heart pang in these parts, but fear could do the trick. “It’s not Hope is it?”

“No,” Elijah said, “but you should come with me.”

Hayley excused herself from Mary and Gary, and followed Elijah through the house. Klaus was also brought to the front door of the Josh-Aiden home, which couldn’t be good news. 

“I spotted him across the field. I think he is here to see you two.” Elijah said ominously.

Hayley and Klaus glanced at each other, exchanging curiosities before opening the door. Hayley and Klaus stepped out onto the front and watched as a tall man in a crisp suit stumbled through the woods. His dress reminded her of Elijah. But his stumbling made Hayley think he was new to these parts.

“Can you help me?” the man asked as he approached their house. His voice was familiar, but in a way that didn’t make sense to her. “I think I’m lost.”

Klaus walked towards the stranger, meeting him on the stone path. The stranger fell towards Klaus and the Mikaelson held the man by the shoulder. “Are you alright, lad?” In another life, Klaus would’ve torn the man to shreds for touching him, but this was the after.

The man panted out, “I think I’m lost. I’m supposed to be in Mystic Falls.”

Hayley appeared from behind and finally got a good look at the guy. He had a slightly large nose, pale skin, brown eyes, thick eyebrows, and curly brown hair. He looked desperate and confused. And Hayley knew him. In the times she checked up on Hope in her dreams, Hayley had seen this man before, had felt the connection her daughter felt for him. An epic love. “Ryan?” Hayley wondered. “What are you doing here?”

“You know who I am?” he said in surprise. “How? Where are we?”

“I’m Hope’s mom,” Hayley introduced. “This is her father, Klaus.”

“You’re Hope’s parents?” Ryan asked. “But I thought they were--”

“Dead?” Klaus finished. “Yes, we are. So are you, it seems.”

“You’re not supposed to be dead, Ryan,” Hayley said. She knew it was true when she said it. In their previous lives, one could be taken away too soon. But in the after, you were meant to be here, right on time. Ryan was early. Like Hope had been early once long ago. “You’re supposed to be with Hope.”

“So you’re the boy that makes my littlest wolf blush,” Klaus sized up the other man. “I see you share Elijah’s style. Hope’s taste is much like her mother’s it seems.”

“I--” Ryan looked between the two of them. “Am I really dead?”

“Yes.”

“But you’re not supposed to be here,” Hayley repeated. “You can go back.”

“Should I go back?” he asked, staring down at his shoes now. He swallowed and admitted, “I’ve really been nothing but trouble for Hope.”

Klaus snorted. “You can say that again. Malivore? Really, Hope was supposed to be free of the abusive father cycle, not date a boy in his own nightmare.”

“Klaus,” Hayley admonished. “Don’t be too hard on him. You were him once. Plus, Hope really likes him, and fully this time, which is more than I can say for those other two boys that caught her fancy.” Landon had been sweet, simple for Hope, a balm for the wounds that Roman Sienna had caused her. But Ryan…they were bonded, not just magically, like Hayley felt with Elijah. It was undeniable and more than a little perfect.

“He’s right,” Ryan said.

“I’m really not, my boy,” Klaus corrected. “I can see a good man when it is in front of me.”

“Maybe I should stay,” Ryan continued.

“You don’t want to see Hope again?” Hayley prodded. “You two can finally be together and you’re willing to give that up?”

“I don’t know.” Ryan looked up at them, tears in his eyes. “Normally I’m not so confused, but I feel so twisted around. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. Tell me what to do.”

The front door opened and closed behind them. “My son, go to her,” a new voice called. All three of them turned to look at the speaker. 

“Gary?” Ryan asked, voice trembling. They knew each other? Was Gary here for Ryan, is that why he stopped by? From the tears gathering in his eyes, Hayley wanted to bundle Ryan up in a blanket and press kisses to his forehead. Klaus, not the cuddly type, seemed to want to do something similar. 

“It’s been a long time,” Gary greeted, coming down to meet them. Gary smiled kindly at Ryan as he got closer. “I’ve missed you.” Was Gary Ryan’s father? No, Hayley knew Ryan was a child of Malivore.

“Gary, I--” Ryan choked on his words, leaving the space of Hayley and Klaus. He stared at Gary as if he’d never seen another man before.

“I know, son, I know,” Gary said comfortingly. Before Ryan could stumble a few words out, Gary had pulled the boy into his arms for a big, long hug. For a moment, Ryan seemed frozen, but then something snapped inside of him and Ryan was clinging to Gary, crying and mumbling apologies over and over again to the older man.

“He’s a bit of a crier,” Klaus observed.

“I like that about him,” Hayley whispered back. “He’s been alone for so long, but isn’t afraid to express himself. We both know Hope keeps things in.”

“I never said it was bad,” Klaus defended.

Hayley snorted.

“It’s my fault,” Ryan mumbled over and over again. “That you’re here. That you’re dead. Your children--Eugenia--I--”

“Eugenia and I found each other again,” Gary consoled him. “And my kids grew up fine. I was sad to miss them, but it all works out in the end, Ryan.”

“But I killed you!” he cried.

Hayley’s brows rose. She was definitely going to ask Gary about that later. 

“And I forgive you,” Gary said. “I will always forgive and love you, my dear boy.” That seemed to settle something that had been long broken in Ryan as he just slumped into Gary’s arms like a child. Hope had done the same thing after she’d accidentally broken one of the china plates and Hayley caught on. After another few moments of hugging with Ryan’s crying settling into a few sniffles, the two parted and Gary helped wipe away the mess on his face. 

“This wasn’t how I expected to meet the parents,” Ryan laughed weakly, facing her and Klaus. 

Hayley smiled kindly at him. “I’m glad we met, Ryan. Really.”

“As am I,” Klaus agreed. “I know Hope is in good hands.”

“She can take care of herself,” Ryan reassured them. “You raised a strong woman.”

“And you will be good for her because you understand this.”

“I did everything I could,” Ryan said. “Before I died, I mean.”

“So go to her,” Hayley urged. “While you still can. We can’t go back, Ryan, but you can.”

“It’s not your time, my boy,” Gary agreed.

Ryan looked between the three of them. “Are you sure?” The three of them nodded their heads. Ryan copied the gesture, a small, hopeful smile spreading across his face. “How do I get back? How do I leave here?”

Hayley pointed at the woods. “Walk back the way you came. Think of Hope, she’s your tether back there. She will get you home.”

“I can do that.” Ryan nodded to himself, straightening up. He smiled, this time more confidently. If he kept that up, Hope would be swooning in his arms by nightfall. “Thank you,” Ryan said, “for helping me.” He turned to Gary, “And for loving me.”

“There’s nothing to thank,” Gary said. “You are my son, and I love you no matter what.”

“Safe travels, little king,” Klaus said as goodbye.

“Goodbye, Ryan,” Hayley added.

“It was nice meeting you.” Ryan nodded his head at the two of them, then turned to Gary, hugging him briefly once more, a quick kiss on the cheek from Gary, before Ryan turned around and headed back for the woods. Hayley was glad to see him go, for the sake of her little girl. He was at the treeline, when Hayley couldn’t help but call out,

“And Ryan?”

The boy turned around. “Yes?”

“Tell Hope that Mom and Dad say hi,” Hayley requested. Because Hope needed to know that they were okay still. That her father was with her mother and that her uncle was at peace too.

“And that we will always love her!” Klaus added. Because Hope needed to know that they loved her still. That no matter what happened in that life, they would still love Hope as their own.

“I will,” Ryan called back. He waved goodbye to them and entered the woods. Hayley, Klaus, and Gary watched him go into the trees until they could no longer see him. She hoped they wouldn’t have to see him for a very long time and that Hope was happily with him. Hayley couldn’t wait to hear the stories they had to tell. The three of them walked back to the house, Elijah waiting at the door. She kissed him on the cheek as they went inside.

Hayley glanced at Gary as they moved through the kitchen. “So what’s the story with Ryan?” Hayley asked.

“Oh, I’ve got plenty,” Gary chuckled and then immediately went into one about Ryan posing as a college student.

* * *

**_Mystic Falls…_ **

Sheriff Mac didn’t understand what was going on with Mystic Falls, or why the mayor thought calling up a principal at a private school should be her first plan of action, but Sheriff Mac needed this job if she was going to support her two kids as a single mother. Besides, working with Alaric Saltzman hadn’t been too weird (and if Sheriff Mac was honest with herself, he was kinda easy on the eyes,) but looking for a body that could be anywhere in Mystic Falls was a strain on her resources.

Which made her deputy’s call so surprising. Sheriff Mac drove all the way to the town edge, to where one of her men was parked, right next to the welcome sign of all things. Sheriff Mac shut the door on her car and made her way to her deputy, who was frantically pacing in front of his car.

“Deputy Fink, you alright there?” Sheriff Mac greeted.

“I can’t be sure.” Deput Fink shook his head and pointed at the ground by the side. “He’s over there. I can’t tell if he’s alive or not.”

Well that was confusing. Sheriff Mac approached the body, which was weird all on its own. The guy had a shirt on, but it was ripped under at his chest, and the rest of him was naked, except completely covered in mud. Sheriff Mac reached down to find a pulse and there was none, but the body’s chest rose up and down sluggishly as if still alive. What in the world?

“I’m calling it in,” Sheriff Mac decided. Alaric Saltzman could deal with whatever freak show this was. “Can you get a towel for the body?” 

“You got it,” Deputy Finn called back.

Sheriff Mac pulled out her phone and began to dial. “Yeah, Ric?” Sheriff Mac started when he answered, “I think I found something, or rather, someone…”

* * *

**_Infirmary at the Salvatore Boarding School…_ **

He woke up sore and tired, run through the ringer. Ryan opened his eyes and then clenched them against the sunlight in the room. He tried to move his arms, but one was currently held down on the bed, but the other was free to rub his eyes. Ryan woke up a bit more from that and was able to finally take in the room he was in. It was the infirmary, which wasn’t too much of a surprise, but to be even alive was a surprise. The clock on the wall told him it was well into the afternoon. He felt like he could sleep for another twelve hours. He remembered parts of the dream he’d had, but maybe it wasn’t a dream. It had been strange. And freeing.

Ryan looked to his left and found Hope watching him. Her hand was tight on his, her thumb pressed carefully atop the scaphoid. Her eyes were bright blue against the sunlight, a little angry, mostly tired, and somewhat scared. Ryan knew he’d been dead, for real this time, but he didn’t know how to address it. Ryan’s throat was dry, so cleared it, and asked, “Where is everyone?” The room was empty, peacefully quiet except for the heavy breathing of their chests.

“Lizzie had a math exam,” Hope told him. She reached over and passed him a glass of water. She helped him sit up against the pillows and drink the water. His body ached as he moved, but it was well worth it to drink the water. “Florence is terrorizing the fledging vampires.”

“Did Vali and Septima…?” He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if they hadn’t made it.

“They’re fine.” Hope narrowed her eyes. “The same couldn’t be said for you. You’re lucky Vali has some new tricks this time around.”

That explained why he was kicking again.

“You promised me everything would go to plan,” Hope accused.

Ryan winced.

“Everything did go to plan,” he tried.

“I don’t remember you dying being a part of the plan.”

“It was a part of the first one,” he tried again, voice light and easy. 

“You died,” Hope scolded, tearing up angrily, “for real this time.”

“I did,” Ryan admitted quietly. She looked up at the ceiling, wiping at her eyes. He could see the anger mounting inside of her as she breathed. “I saw your parents.”

Hope paused. “What?”

“They’re at peace,” he told her. “They all are.”

“You met my parents?”

“They wanted you to know they were okay and that they loved you.” 

“You met my parents,” Hope repeated, voice almost wondrous. “Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall-Kenner let you go back after all we’ve been through?” 

“They wanted me to,” Ryan confirmed. He’d tell her about Gary, when things had settled, how Ryan got his own slice of peace. “I think they liked me.”

Hope laughed and wiped her face again. “What am I going to do with you?” she wondered. She refused to let him go. Ryan felt warm and like this was another dream, a happy one he could soak in for forever.

“Stay with me?” Ryan suggested. He rubbed his thumb along hers. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” 

“You better,” Hope demanded, “because if you ever do anything like that again, I _will_ destroy you.”

“Aw, I love you too.” It felt like the wrong and best thing he could say. He had just come back from the dead afterall. He could be a little forward.

Hope pinked at that, but she also bit her lip and smiled. “Yeah?”

“I don’t go into Malivore for just anyone,” he said, leaning closer.

Hope smirked and met him in the middle. “Good,” she whispered and then she was kissing him. And it felt like everything beautiful in the world. And it felt like a lit candle and cup of hot chocolate and holding someone’s hand just because you could.

Ryan didn’t need a bonding spell to feel how happy Hope was to be kissing him. Their kiss was sweet, like the late summer days at the beach, but it hedged on something deeper. He could taste wisps of heat and hunger in their kisses, and even though it wasn’t time to stoke those flames, it was there and it would happen one day. And Ryan felt so in love with the girl in his arms that he would do anything for her. Hope slid closer to him, her hands coming up to settle on his jaw as their kiss deepened. She wasn’t quite in his lap and he was still sore all over, but it was the best feeling in the world to hold her and be held by her and to kiss her and to be kissed by her. To love her and to be loved by her. He’d spent so long thinking something like this was impossible, like meeting someone at the horizon, only to finally make it to this point and be overwhelmed with the joy of it all.

They kissed a few more times before they pulled back for air. Her hands were still warm on his jaw, but their foreheads now leaned against one another. Her eyes were closed and he watched her face, almost hungrily, at how perfect and beautiful she was. Her eyes opened and she laughed a little when she caught him looking, eyes wide and full of wonder. She kissed him on the forehead, like he had done so often for her. And he felt whole from the gesture. Hope looked at him again, smiling. “You know I love you, right?” 

His heart soared. “I figured,” Ryan chuckled and then kissed her again. He promised to himself that he would never leave her again. And this time, _this time,_ he’d actually keep his word. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this idea in my head to write a more explicit/mature mini fic in the far future where Hope cuts off Ryan’s hand one day and digs out his scaphoid. Then she carves a fertility spell into the bone... It’ll only last the night, but it does work, hehehehe...  
> Ryan either becomes a magical creatures professor at the school or he reworks Triad so that it helps people and magical creatures, creating peace treaties and things like that. And/or Ryan does the Triad thing but guest lectures at the school from time to time. Hope and Ryan are TOGETHER!!! And they go on cute coffee dates and Hope helps Ryan get himself a hobby or whatever. Florence and the other Mikaelsons pop in and out of their lives with fun tales to be spun. While Alaric isn’t looking, he and Ryan bond over monster hunting and saving the school and trying to get Hope to listen to them. The school adopts Cerberus as their mascot and Vali becomes Ryan and Septima’s therapy dog. Also, a witch puts Septima’s mark on a bone and alters it to make Septima more human-appearing. Septima goes by Tim and he and Ryan become roommates or something sweet like that. Tim and Seylah work together at a bakery and Landon actually likes Tim because Tim thinks Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are fascinating. Landon and Ryan still have a hella complicated relationship, but they come to an understanding over a combined hatred towards Lovecraft novels. Lizzie and Ryan are still major bros. Vali and Ryan work together to come up with a way to stop the Merge so yeah. Everything works out well in the end and also everyone’s happy okay??? Anyway, Hayley and Klaus and Elijah and everyone look fondly upon them from Peace and that’s good.


End file.
